Movie Piracy Survey

KJF

Hi,

My girlfriend is writing a piece on piracy for her college magazine and asked me if I would put up a quick survey for her on boards.

If you could answer the following truthfully:

Do you illegally download?
Why do you illegally download?
How much would you illegally download in a month?
Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

Thanks.

Running Bing

Do you illegally download? Yes

Why do you illegally download? I illegally download because the films I download I would never see if I didnt as they are mostly out of the cinema, wont be shown(or at least a long time until their shown) on the TV and I wouldnt want to see them enough to fork over money for them.

How much would you illegally download in a month? Probably 1 or 2 a month. I buy, rent or go to the cinema for the majority as I value a quality/product experience.

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading? Absolutely none. I see it as a positive thing. I download films simply to "give them a go". The films I download are not the ones I love or am really looking forward too so if I download a film(that I would not have seen otherwise) and really like it I may well purchase the DVD and go to see upcoming films from the director/actors involved.

As I said above the Cinema and DVD provide a quality experience/product that cannot be matched by downloads. Film companies need to cop on to this, stop publicising sites like piratebay and piracy in general and get on with providing products people are willing to pay for. Their biggest mistake is publicising it so much because then it just becomes acceptable as more people will try it out.

L31mr0d

you'd have better luck if you got your GF to set up an anonymous online survey. Somewhere like: http://www.createsurvey.com/

Piracy, is the elephant in the corner on the internet, most people won't talk about it openly or admit to the extent they do it. Even here people might have the fear if they admit it their IP address is recorded, or that someone might know their true identity... etc.

If you set up one of those simple, anonymous, surveys i'll fill it in.

ixoy

I'm going to quote this from Robot Chicken because I just saw it, it's pertinent, and funny:

A recent report claims film piracy costs the economy $20 billion annually.
We say this is super misleading.
Film piracy may cost the film industry 20 billion but that money still goes into the economy. People will buy shoes or comic books or cataract surgery or even baby formula.
We say film piracy feeds babies.

aliqueenb

aggggggggh i love it haha

Pigman II

Yes
Cos it's easier than renting dvds. Plus already having movies in DIVX format is advantageous to me.
Lots
No

You're welcome.

Vic Vinegar

Do you illegally download?
- Yes
Why do you illegally download?
- To see if a film is any good before shelling out cash to buy the dvd mostly
How much would you illegally download in a month?
- Lots!
Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
- Not really, if it's good, i'll buy it

Mossy Monk

No
No
0kb
Yes

kaimera

Do you illegally download?
Why do you illegally download?
How much would you illegally download in a month?
Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

Yes
Cos it saves me ripping them myself.
Depends on the month, xx gig prolly
Yes

Duggy747

Do you illegally download?
Why do you illegally download?
How much would you illegally download in a month?
Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

1. Yep.

2. Saves time and space ripping them from DVD.
TV never shows them.
I only get high-qualtiy ones that are only 700mb-ish and look perfect when viewed on a TV.
Doesn't even take me 2 minutes to download a movie, same time it takes as well to find a title that just pops into your head (e.g. "Ooh, I haven't seen Groundhog Day in years, I'll go download it")
Why pay piss-poor prices for old movies that try to knock themselves off as "Uncut", "Banana edition" or "Remastered" despite only having a completely pointless 10 second deleted scene when you can get the movie for free? Regardless of what edition it is.

3. Depends, I'd get the odd burst of movies I want to download. Some weeks I'd have no idea what to download, other weeks I get a landfill of them.

4 No, especially when it comes to movies that are years old.

faceman

Do you illegally download?
No

Why do you illegally download?
I dont do it primarily because of quality

How much would you illegally download in a month?
None

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
Even though i dont do it, no i wouldnt have a moral issue with it.

johnny_ultimate

Do you illegally download? Nope
Why do you illegally download? I don't for many reasons: e.g. reasons outlined below, dodginess, lesser quality than typical DVDs / cinema releases.
How much would you illegally download in a month? Zilch
Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading? Yeah, plenty. Film is my favourite art form, and I think it is important to support the people and artists who make the films I enjoy. Cinema and rentals aren't that expensive (6 or 7 euro is very little really) and you can't beat the cinema experience, so I'd feel bad taking the revenue that these people need to survive and make more films (especially smaller, independent releases which need all the support they can get). I want to get involved in the industry some day, and if I was making a living from it I wouldn't approve of people just taking whatever they want.

Running Bing

Duggy747 wrote: »

2. Saves time and space ripping them from DVD.
TV never shows them.
I only get high-qualtiy ones that are only 700mb-ish and look perfect when viewed on a TV.
Doesn't even take me 2 minutes to download a movie, same time it takes as well to find a title that just pops into your head (e.g. "Ooh, I haven't seen Groundhog Day in years, I'll go download it")
Why pay piss-poor prices for old movies that try to knock themselves off as "Uncut", "Banana edition" or "Remastered" despite only having a completely pointless 10 second deleted scene when you can get the movie for free? Regardless of what edition it is.

Bloody hell, how do you manage that? Takes me ages with my current set up.

mukki

Do you illegally download?
yes

Why do you illegally download?
why pay for something when you cen get it free, i'd go without if i had to pay

How much would you illegally download in a month?
2-3 films which I delete then after watching

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
see the second answer

phasers

Do you illegally download?
Yes

Why do you illegally download?
it's free, and you can watch very recent films in your own home

How much would you illegally download in a month?
usually about 2 films

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
Not in the least

Cokehead Mother

Do you illegally download?

Yes.

Why do you illegally download?

Local cinema / shops don't have the film I want.

How much would you illegally download in a month?

One or two films.

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

No.

L31mr0d

Do you illegally download?

Yes

Why do you illegally download?

- I never watch a movie more than once (usually, unless its exceptional)
- It's easy and fast and free
- Can watch HD movies without owning a HD player
- Can watch foreign movies as soon as I hear about them rather than having to search for a source

How much would you illegally download in a month?

A lot. Usually as soon as I hear about a movie i'll download it.

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

No. I still go to the cinema frequently when I see a movie coming to the cinema with a decent metacritic score. Most of the movies I download are ones I was on the fence about watching, if I'm not enjoying the movie I switch it off and don't feel bad about wasting money on it.

Wacker

KJF wrote: »

Hi,

Do you illegally download?

No.

KJF wrote: »

Why do you illegally download?

I don't! Ludicrous as this might sound, one of my main reasons is on account of the aesthetic appeal of a big DVD collection. I love how they look. A list of files never looks that cool.

KJF wrote: »

How much would you illegally download in a month?

None!

KJF wrote: »

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

I'm very against it. It isn't just Tom Cruise's $20 million pay cheque I'd be biting into. It is also you're local retailer who is only just in the black. I love films, and I thus feel the guys who make these films deserve their pay.

KJF wrote: »

Thanks.

You're very welcome.

ThOnda

Do you illegally download?
- Yes.
Why do you illegally download?
- The films I am interested in are not in cinemas. And the standard commercial production is too expensive just to be seen to stay in touch with common consume.
How much would you illegally download in a month?
- One or two.
Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
- If the film deserves it, I go to the cinema or buy it on DVD, so the answer is NO.

constitutionus

do i illegally download

i stream rather than download as theres pretty much nothing i'd want to keep that much

why do you illegally download

choice. i find it annoying that some suit makes a decision and i have to wait months to see a film people i talk to on the net are discussing. if at all! "the mist" for instance was a very good little horror film that floped in the states and as such doesnt look to be releasd here at all in the cinema. if not for the net i never wouldve seen it.
the same can be said for TV. waiting months for programes like the sarah connor chronicles or the second season of heroes just to suit some network isnt going to fly with me in the net age. also it helps that when i miss an episode of a programe im watching i can find it on the net. nostalgia also factors in as the pirate sites have vids of stuff i havent seen since the 80s which dont look to be getting the DVD treatement anytime soon.

how much do you illegally download a month

god knows. i stream at least an episode of some program once a day so its probably quite a lot in a month. in fact ive taken to watching most of my TV on the net as the line up on actual TV doesnt appeal to me. too much realty ****e.


do you have any moral qualms about illegally downloading

no . because alot of it could be sorted by companies treating their audiences maturely and having worldwide release dates instead of holding back films for marketing purposes. besides if i REALLY like something i'll support it in the cinema. its a totally different experience so i cant see downloading putting the cinema out of business as there will always be a market for that product. if anything they should use whats going on to see what films people are watching on line to offer "classic" nights. one of the main reasons i havent gone recently is theres sod all out i fancy shelling 20 euros on

newbie2

KJF wrote: »

Do you illegally download?

yes

KJF wrote: »

Why do you illegally download?

Rent a DVD = €5, Cinema = €9. The cost is just too much. And alot of the time the movie/album/tv show/software or video game is sh1te and you've just wasted cash on it!! The film industry makes too much money anyway: Star Wars 3 = $158.5m in its first four days

KJF wrote: »

How much would you illegally download in a month?

10 or so movies, 1 or 2 entire series of a tv show - like Dexter/TPB/CSI etc, 5 or 6 albums, whatever software I need and A video game or two

KJF wrote: »

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

Obviously not.

Rabidlamb

Do you illegally download ?
Yes. . . . . yes I do.

Why do you illegally download ?
(1) There's a certain thrill in being one of the first in Ireland to see a new release, especially if you've heard it's good e.g. American Gangster, There Will Be Blood.
(2) I have kids so it's not easy to get a babysitter for a 3 hour trip to the cinema.
(3) Last film I went to cost the 2 of us €35 for parking, tickets & popcorn.
(4) Much better to download 3 or 4 episodes of new series, say Lost or Greys Anatomy, & watch them over one night with a bottle of red & no ad breaks.
(5) VHS Video recorders dont work with Sky & I'm to mean to pay for Sky Plus so if I miss a programme I can download it the night after.

How much would you illegally download in a month?
About 6 films & the same number series episodes.

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
None, cause the Borat DVD was €20.99 in Tescos & I dont like being buggered.

Do you illegally download?
- Yes

Why do you illegally download?
- Its easy and quick.
- Variety/availability.

How much would you illegally download in a month?
- It varies. At the moment its about 1 a month.

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
- Nope. I am a regular cinema-goer. I have paid for movies I ended up hating so I feel morally justified when I "try-before-I-buy".
I will pay to see the movies I like in the cinema and avoid the ones I dont like. Simple

TheDoc

Do you illegally download?
- Yes

Why do you illegally download?
- It's free
- Its quick
- Cinema prices and general highstreet prices are too high
- Prefer the comfort of my home

How much would you illegally download in a month?
- Alot, tens of gigs

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?
- No. I still visit the cinema to see some big movies, but when I can get things for free, I will do it. Why pay for something when you get it for free.

Attractive Nun

Do you illegally download?

Yes.

Why do you illegally download?

Because it's cheaper

How much would you typically download in a month?

Movies, not much. Recently, I've only downloaded There Will Be Blood. Used to download TV series but not so much recently. I d/l ****loads of albums though.

Do you have any moral qualms about downloading illegally?

Yeah, sorta. It wouldn't bother me that much really, but if I ever think about it I can't say that I think it's 'right'. It's clearly wrong, in fact. All the people that work in the film/music industry who depend on sales for their job, and here we all are taking advantage of their bad luck that their product can be stuck up on the Internet. I work in a record store myself.

Sure, the price of legal music and film is pretty unreasonable - but that's not justification for stealing it. In Rainbows aside, how many of us - given the option - would voluntarily donate a 'reasonable' amount of money to the relevant people upon each download? Personally, I'd watch movies mainly as a social thing, or if I've nothing else to do I might watch something on TV. With some exceptions, if I couldn't get things for free I probably wouldn't bother with them at all. Similarly with music, I like to think that I make up for the money I would have spent on CDs by going to gigs, though that's probably not true. Still, I don't think I'm necessarily costing the industries that much, but I'm certainly gaining a lot of enjoyment from those industries without paying a cent. There's clearly something morally wrong about that, and no amount of rationalising changes my view that downloading illegally is quite obviously 'wrong'. Ah well, I'm still gonna do it.

Running Bing

Interesting. This survey kinda shows what I always felt, the movie industry hugely overestimates their loses from downloading.

I think the problem is that the movie industry simply looks at the amount downloaded, puts a dollar value on it and then claims it as their loss.


In reality a lot of the stuff downloaded would not be paid for anyway. I can honestly say, with full confidence, that I have never downloaded anything that I would otherwise have paid for.


I think the best thing they can do is just shut up about it. If they didnt publicise it so much it would remain an underground thing with little effect on the industry.

Time to shut up, accept it and adapt imo. The cinemaslave podcast did an excellent show a few weeks back about how Hollywood has always sh1t itself when new technology came out...right back to the 1920's. Interesting listen. I have very little sympathy for them tbh.

Mena

Do you illegally download?

No

Why do you illegally download?

N/A

How much would you illegally download in a month?

N/A

Do you have any moral qualms in illegally downloading?

Yes, it's stealing.


Someone mentioned "why pay for something when you can get it for free". Would you consider taking my car off me? It's not that hard to do and hell, would save you €1300.00 a month...

Just curious.

L31mr0d

Mena wrote: »

Someone mentioned "why pay for something when you can get it for free". Would you consider taking my car off me? It's not that hard to do and hell, would save you €1300.00 a month...

Just curious.

Its not the same. An equivalent example would be someone seeing your car, liking it, and then making a replica of it for themselves instead of buying it from the dealer. When a movie is pirated, nobody has their copy of a movie stolen, it is simply replicated.

Mena

Mena wrote: »

Would you consider taking my car off me?

No because thats stealing.

Mena

Sorry, but I think the above in both cases is utter bollocks. Keep trying to justify it to yourselves but in the end it's pure theft.

Vic Vinegar

Mena wrote: »

Sorry, but I think the above in both cases is utter bollocks. Keep trying to justify it to yourselves but in the end it's pure theft.

But all L31mr0d was doing was shooting down your crummy analogy, I think he achieved that quite well.

Duggy747

What about buying 2nd-hand DVDs (legal, that is), isn't that pretty much the same as downloading a movie except you're handing your cash over to the owner? I hardly doubt they'll go to the trouble to give a cut of their €10 to royalties, eh?

The Denouncer

Will never watch pirate DVDs, no way hosé. I have the morals.

aurel

The morals are the TIGHT. Golly that "knock off nigel" ad campaign is embarrassing.

Duggy747

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xfqkdh5Js4

ziedth

Yes

basically, save money, dont get chance to see films in cinema as much as i'd like. however i would go still see at least one film every 2 weeks or if i liked a particular actor.

i'd say at least 10 films and countless tv shows.

None at all because i still goto to the cinema so i kinda justify it to myself

Running Bing

aurel wrote: »

The morals are the TIGHT. Golly that "knock off nigel" ad campaign is embarrassing.

That scared the sh1t out of me.


I used to wake up in a cold sweat picturing everyone down the local knowing that I download movies.


God I couldnt live with the shame.

L31mr0d

Mena wrote: »

Sorry, but I think the above in both cases is utter bollocks. Keep trying to justify it to yourselves but in the end it's pure theft.

I never said it isn't theft. But your analogy alluded to someone stealing from you personally, which is fallacious, the theft is from the company who made the product not you.

I fully accept my downloading is stealing, I don't accept spurious analogies however

aurel wrote: »

The morals are the TIGHT. Golly that "knock off nigel" ad campaign is embarrassing.

I think that ad did more to damage the lives of people named Nigel than it did to pirates

partholon

Duggy747 wrote: »

What about buying 2nd-hand DVDs (legal, that is), isn't that pretty much the same as downloading a movie except you're handing your cash over to the owner? I hardly doubt they'll go to the trouble to give a cut of their €10 to royalties, eh?

good point.

i almost exclusivly buy second hand video games now as i cant justify spending 50 quid on a game i can get for anywhere between 6 and 25 euro on a preowned title.

i dont see xtra game or game handing cash back to the developers.