Copyright Law and stuffs

[CloneKai]

After googling for total five minutes. I have decided to simply ask you guys.
     I am presently in a country where people know jack shit about copyright laws.
90% of the books present in book stores are pirated. Inferno by Dan Brown on Amazon is something around $15. You have more chances of getting $4 one here. Even the universities photocopy reference books and sell them to student at much cheaper rates.

     I hadn't even seen an original Windows operating system before Vista. And that is because the laptop coming here are preloaded with them.
Engineering related software like AutoCAD and MatLab are free. Well you can download them with crack (that what university people told me).

My computer is filled with a healthy collection of porn movies, all from using torrent. Never paid a penny for them.
I have got one GB of music. Basically American songs but some Indian and Anime OSTs. My wallet did not feel any lighter after acquiring them.
And couple of music videos and AMVs (Anime Music Videos) mainly from youtube.

So, tell me about copyright laws. Do you guys also download stuffs like we do. Or pay for every single thing. How are these laws enforced?

And finally, what should I delete and what should I keep? If I am to stay in Deutschland.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

For me, personally, copyright doesn't enter into it. I have no problems pirating something, provided I am willing to pay for it if and when the means become available. (For example, pirating games you can't easily buy in the US.) It's when you pirate something that you could easily acquire legally that I believe a line is crossed from piracy to outright theft.

[GrinningYMIR]

For me, personally, copyright doesn't enter into it. I have no problems pirating something, provided I am willing to pay for it if and when the means become available. (For example, pirating games you can't easily buy in the US.) It's when you pirate something that you could easily acquire legally that I believe a line is crossed from piracy to outright theft.

I'm like that, I generally try to buy things I can, but some music and games simply can't be bought, so I convert them.

If I can buy them, I do, If I can't, I don't

[Plu]

In the Netherlands, these rules are only really enforced for companies. That means you won't be able to buy pirated stuff in a shop, nor are you able to advertise it or offer it to people for free if you're a business. There's a few agencies that deal with looking for and fining companies that do use/sell/offer pirated software and the fines are big.

For consumers, its generally a "what you do in your own home" thing, nobody really cares and unless you do something really stupid (like run an ad in the newspaper that you have pirated software or something equally ridiculous) nobody is going to care and nothing will happen.

According to Dutch law (last I hear, anyway) downloading illegal material is tolerated, but uploading is technically illegal and you can be fined/incarcerated if you do really really large amounts of it or if you host websites that support that kind of thing and/or make money off of it.

Now as for myself; I used to download a lot of stuff when I was younger because I didn't have any money and a lot of stuff was almost impossible to get. These days I usually just buy the games on Steam or the company's own webpage if I want them. The only thing I pirate are games that aren't free (as in legally free to download, so you can't get them from any official websites) yet, but also not for sale anywhere. And very rarely games that I'm not sure I'll like but are very expensive. I generally just try those for a few hours and then buy them if I like them.

[CloneKai]

So, basically there is no enforcement.

No need for me to delete anything. :)

[Plu]

That depends on where you go... it varies from country to country. You mentioned Germany, I'd consider at least asking a few Germans before reaching any conclusions ;)

[GrinningYMIR]

There's enforcement in the US, my dad's friends had the FBI take all of their computers and telephones when they were caught breaking game codes and pirating them

[CloneKai]

So, deleting after I get there. or not, depending on the answer.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Think about it as if it was you who developed the software, movies or whatever with the goal of it being how you feed yourself.  Your family depends on your earning power and skills you studied hard to develop and then only to learn thieves enter your place of business to steal everything you worked hard all your life for.
Oh well, you should have to work free with no compensation whatever.  :-k

[SGOS]

So, basically there is no enforcement.

No need for me to delete anything. :)

Well, I wouldn't go that far.  While all countries may not have copyright laws, those that do, find them difficult to enforce.  But we do read from time to time about some high school girl with a shit load of pirated songs on her iPod that ends up in court.  It's rare, but it happens.

Think of it this way.  There are laws with proscribed penalties, and rather harsh ones at that, that protect copyrights.  You could get nailed for your own personal use.  If you are distributing them, you are probably more likely to get nailed.

Whether you want to adhere to the rules is your decision alone.  But being prosecuted is outside your control.  No one can give you permission to infringe on copyright laws.  It's a risk you take.  If you are asking how big is the risk, it's bigger if you are apprehended, or so it would probably seem at that point.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I could easily take the stance that you're a thief and not to be trusted or for that matter so is everyone else.  So you get away with it until one day police show up at your house and off you go to the iron bar hotel crying about how unfair it is YOU'RE not allowed to break long established law about theft.
You're aware, I presume at that point sympathy will be between shit and syphilis.  :roll:

[CloneKai]

Since, this is my first good chance to escape the religious environment, i was unfortunate to be born in. I suppose i shouldn't take any chances. No point in getting hauled to jail for listening to some music and getting my ass kicked back to the banana republic.

but I really don't want to delete the anime OSTs and AMV. The AMV producer don't make money but the song in video have a cost attach. so legally, can i keep them? I don't know anything about OSTs. Japan and Germany kind of far apart.

what about porn. most of them don't have any sort of disclaimer. So should i delete them?

I will delete all the English songs.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

The odds are slim to be arrested, but so are the odds you'll win the lottery unless of course you're the person who wins it.
You know right from wrong and no amount of justification turns wrong into right.
The bottom line is that if you don't mind being a common thief then you don't mind the risks of arrest and the potential penalties.

[Plu]

Think about it as if it was you who developed the software, movies or whatever with the goal of it being how you feed yourself. Your family depends on your earning power and skills you studied hard to develop and then only to learn thieves enter your place of business to steal everything you worked hard all your life for.
Oh well, you should have to work free with no compensation whatever.  :-k

The people who make the content mostly already have their salary, so you're not stealing from them. Unless you're pirating small-scale projects, anyway. Which are usually really cheap, too.

Mostly you're "stealing" money from big business execs. (Whether or not it's stealing is also up for debate, and has been for a long time) :)

It's not exactly a black and white topic. (I realise this concept is complicated for Americans to understand :P)


@CloneKai, honestly I would just empty out the harddisk and start over in your new place of residence, if you don't want to take risks. Also consider picking up a subscription to some online service like Netflix, that'll let you watch most stuff legally and it's not expensive. And porn is technically copyrighted, too. But there's loads of free stuff on the internet.

[Jason78]

So, basically there is no enforcement.

No need for me to delete anything. :)

It doesn't give you the right to act like a cunt though.