I work in film and television and though I'm not hanging out down at Zucotti park demanding justice, i most certainly am not living "high on the hog". I have no problem with sharing original music or any creative works if that's what the individual who has created it wants but where i cringe is when i see the blanket on the side walk with piles of DVDs of films that are in still the theater. Or the dude next to me on the commute home with his own stack of Bootleg DVDs bought by the guy with the blanket on canal street. Between that and the ability to download whole movies, I'd say yes, the film and television industry (and music Industry) is most certainly losing money. Can the upper tiers of the institution afford it?... that's not for me to say but what I have seen in the last 5 years is a HUGE cut back in staff due a vast drop in revenue. We can also thank technology for that. I think technology is really affecting the job market. A 20 year old kid can now edit in his bedroom so why rent a room. Same kid usually doesn't know how to read scopes. Same thing with sound editing, used to have the entire sound dept in several rooms... not anymore. We're lucky to have the big mix rooms operational. Time's are a changing I guess. Sorry... i got slightly off the topic. I don't claim to have the answer I just can't in good conscience completely disregard the intent of this.

_________________
YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

You can say that again. Not sure what it's like where you live but in NYC, the site of scores upon scores of drones walking with there face in there text device is really getting to me.

_________________
YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

I have never personally seen anyone selling bootleg anything. I do not think its as severe as these corporations make it out to be. the average person would much rather skip the hassle and go to a red-box and spend a dollar or just use Netflix. with music though I discover more artists that I normally wouldn't have access to by downloading bulk music collections and sifting through them. if I like them I go see them live or buy the album. to me its more like a preview system for music. the radio has never played half the music I love and if the bill passes it will affect the smaller less known artists. i just think all this is blown out of proportion. its also going to take more tax dollars from the people that are supposed to buy more copyrighted material to enforce it. its not about the ART anymore its about the green. in my opinion a true artist simply wants to share their vision and be heard.
but I am not part of the people that actually MAKE money with the music and movies they create. so I really don't understand from their perspective.

SPELLING ERROR

_________________

You're not off the topic, captainc, you're spot on the topic and the real issue. Well said.

Hi somebizarredude: there is presumption across this thread that anyone who is losing to piracy is a big, rich corporation who we needn't care about.

My wife is an authors' agent. She represents writers to publishers, gets them better deals around the world than they could have got by themselves, collects their royalties and protects their intellectual property from those who would abuse it. Her's is a little company; a couple of her authors are big and successful but most are small and make a modest living.

More and more hours of her week are spent tracking down the relentlessly increasing number of pirates who spring up offering cheap downloads of works they have stolen and for which they pay the creator nothing. My wife doesn't earn anything extra by doing this: she's losing ever more time and money on it.

In fact, piracy is hurting sales so badly that far from creating jobs in the way you suggest she was recently told by her financial people that she should fire her newest, youngest employee because the numbers no longer add up to keep that person in work. We agonised about it and decided we couldn't treat that person that way and instead my wife has taken money out of her own pension fund to keep that individual in employment - for now. But that obviously cannot go on.

Further, my wife represents authors who used to be just about able to make a small living by writing. Now, although just as many copies of their works are being read they no longer can earn a living wage, because too many people are stealing content instead of paying for it. Ordinary, struggling people are having their livelihoods destroyed.

We all know that piracy has been ruining huge companies and curtailing the income of megastars. You may be unaware that it is putting a lot more ordinary, little people out of work too.

Cheers - C

_________________

Well I never really thought about that..... It is still I'm my opinion a waste of funds and time. I am not in entertainment but in product development there are organizations that enforce patent infringement and it still happens regularly. Its futile

_________________

Apparently it was dropped by congress.

_________________
1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

ABC News says :

"Co-sponsors of the PIPA bill, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), indicated via Facebook that the bills will be pulled and reworked after intense public pushback. The bills were set to go to vote next week. “You've been heard. PIPA has been pulled so we can find a better solution,” Schumer said Friday morning. Within an hour the comment garnered 370 “likes,” 90 comments and 98 shares.

Gillibrand called the public outcry against the bills “democracy in action,” on her Facebook. Her status read, “Make no mistake, we must act to protect the theft of intellectual property that costs our economy billions in revenue -- but we must get it right without unintended consequences that could stifle the Internet.”

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!