Wednesday 5 November 2008

Moral or Immoral? The popularity of illegal products.

Illegal DVDs are certainly popular, not just in Thailand, where, according to Tienchai Pinvises, executive director of the Motion Picture Association, Thailand, illegal sales account for more than half of all sales of DVDs and this stealing is harmful to the artists, producers and honest buyers(Pratruangkrai, 2008).

I live on Silom Road, and every afternoon and evening, the streets are full of people selling illegal CDs and DVDs of music, sex and movies. And there are a lot more people buying them. In fact, millions of people buy these illegal products. Computer software is another popular area for these sorts of crimes: millions of people around the world happily buy and use illegal versions of Microsoft and other companies software.

Are these millions of shoppers and computer users doing something immoral? Every time they commit a crime by buying an illegal DVD or other pirated product, they are taking money from the artists, performers and producers who created the song, music, movie, software or other original product, and that does sound like stealing.
Do they think their behaviour is immoral?

Both the sellers and buyers are stealing and profiting from other people's work, so it would seem to be immoral as well as criminal, that is, illegal.
Does this mean that millions of people believe that it is OK to behave immorally?
Or do you think that those people convince themselves that it is not really immoral for some reason?

Do people do things that they know to be immoral, or do they believe their acts are not really immoral for some reason?
What do you think? Can we happily do what we know is wrong, or do we try to make up an excuse before we do it? Does having an excuse make it right? Is it OK to break the law and steal if we think we have a good reason? What if others, such as the owners, don't think our reasons are very good?

__________

References

8 comments:

  1. Our technology makes us to have convenient living. Apple Company launched iPod which listen to song without CD. We can download every song we want, so cost of song is not expensive anymore. The customer knows it, so they can not sell the expensive album. The customers tend to listen to music from copied CD. Entertainment Company should change or find the other way to promote the new music. It’s not moral or immoral because technology brings the new information to everyone. The good-looking singer who isn’t sweet voice can be a famous singer because technology changes their voice to be sweeter. Entertainment Company should do business with it. For example, they can promote by internet and count the number of download to reach the goal.

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  2. I think that our behavior are immoral. the reason that almost people break law or behave immorally because it pay a little money to get a good thing. So, we should change thinking with good moral because artist, musician, performers and producers who created the song, they work hard and spend more time to product a good thing. i understand they because i had ever made only one song with my band in studio. it was hard and spend more time become a song which is not good but not bad. we try to imagine that if this case happen to us, How we will feel. we tired, invest a lot of money and use brain to create a new thing but other people take advertise.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. People use illegal CDs and DVDs. They know to be immoral. But almost people can buy it because people think this is not serious situation. People don't look the future prospect. They are importance of immediately benefit. People should notice this situation is serious. For example, Entertainment Company work very hard to make CDs or DVDs.
    They invest their money, time, energy. If they can't benefit more and more, they stop to make CDs or DVDs. After then, we can't use CDs or DVDs. So,people should change thinking with good moral.

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  5. People buy illegal DVDs and CDs although they know is immoral and illegal. They still buy it because they think it is not a serious problem and they don't think about consequence after they but it. A main reason why people don't like to buy legal DVDs and CDs because it is expensive. One solution to solve this problem is decrease price of produce by producer. If the price inexpensive, people migh turn back to buy legal DVDs and CDs because the pirate produces better quality than illegal produces.

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  6. Buying illegal products doesn’t sound good to me. Owner produces its no matter by working hard or with an easy way, but it belongs to owners. If they use that product without the owner approve as same as other things that we couldn’t touch them (rape, coping private documents, copying research ideas from others,…), there are all immoral in common sense. but, we are in the world that has several people stayed in. they do what they thing under their reasons. We couldn’t make them to do the same for all and also the more people live in that society, the more different behavior they do. We have rules and regulation of that society, but some different society they also have different rules . Because it difficult to make people follow the rules, if producers or owners makes the products and would like us to buy only the legal things (and also ideas, documents…,any things), they have to find the ways and make more strong law to protect their product together, particulary if it is very important things for producers

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  7. It’s absolutely immoral whatever the reasons to trade illegal CDs, DVD or software may be. This illegal business is very popular around the world as long as there are still buyers who only want to buy cheaper products. They don’t think how anyone in business might be affected. Moreover, they don’t look far enough in the future, that the invention of products for entertaining, working or studying could be seriously starved off the incentive that it needs. It doesn’t pay well, nobody then wants to try anything.

    Actually, I used to buy illegal CDs such as music and movies. I was not happy because illegal CDs have lower quality than original CDs. In addition, I felt guilty, like I commit a crime, because I had to hide from police. But I’m not sure how other people feel. However, I don’t think anybody has any excuses to make their behavior right. To sum up, people should realize by themselves that this behavior need to stop and try to consume products in the more moral way.

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  8. That is a point that has been arguing many times in Thai, also many countries. Some people know this mention well but some not. It hasn’t good reason for steal something from other. I will separate to 2 cases.

    Fist, the people that know illegal is wrong. But, they still do because he likes to do. However, there are some people that know this is illegal, but they have no chose. They have to use it in their studies or works, but they don't have money enough to buy legal software what is too expensive.

    Second, People that don't any know about software such as some people in country side. They know only what is the machine can listen to the music, watch the movies and play games.

    Most reasons is not reasonable for stealing. Fortunately, there are the other ways to use software for free but not illegal. That is Open Source Software. There are a lot of open source software in this time. They are freedom to use, so you can use, copy and improve them.

    I prefer some software for you.
    Microsoft Windows -> Linux(Ubuntu ,PclinuxOS)
    Microsoft office -> Sun Openoffice.org
    Internet explorer -> Firefox3,Google Chrome, Opera
    Media player -> VLC, kmplayer
    Photoshop -> gimp
    MSN -> Pigin, Google talk
    Outlook -> Thunderbird.

    and more.
    If you want you more information, you can tell me.

    It's not too hard to change your activity of using software. You can do.

    Actually, my laptop also has illegal software. I have around 10% of all software. :P

    Of cause, I'm bad person.

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