Here’s a table I adapted from Louis Rossman’s video on the levels of piracy, grey areas and his morals and ethics on it. (spreadsheet file)

I tried to condense each rank and make it less about a specific type of media like CD audio or DVD video, along with a table of simplified characteristics of each situation. Of course more levels can be added and there are many situations not covered. This hierarchy is simply the way Louis ordered it from more to less justifiable; he respects people can think about it differently and I do too. He suggests that he doesn’t really care about people that pirate without giving a shit about creators, and that he only has a problem with people who aren’t honest with themselves about their motivations.

Setting legality aside, what ‘level of piracy’ is morally or ethically acceptable to you?

65 points

what ‘level of piracy’ is morally or ethically acceptable to you?

If I could, I would download a car.

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50 points

Cars are bad for the environment, please download bicycles instead.

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8 points

Good point … also I don’t have a driver’s licence anyway.

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17 points

You wouldn’t download a driver’s licence.

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3 points
*

…an electric car?

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39 points

Setting legality aside, what ‘level of piracy’ is morally or ethically acceptable to you?

All levels. I think that human beings are morally and ethically obligated to do anything that causes a corporation to lose or miss out on profits. They exploit and disrespect our power as consumers by changing EULA after we purchase products, I see no reason not to rob these mfs blind.

If it’s an indie game I’ll pay for it after pirating, if I enjoy the game.

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25 points

I hate opening this way, but, as an “artist,” DL everything. Art deserves to be pushed away from profit motives and i hate hearing, “but your fave musicians wont get ur money!” Theyre not getting money off of record sales anyway, they hardly ever did. Ill put out what i make for free download. If ever ppl seem crazy enough to wanna donate, ill look into opening up those avenues, but its not like thats happening anytime soon. Way i see it, its not like i could stop if i wanted to. Why ask for money and limit how many ppl i can reach?

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1 point

@Pan_Ziemniak @JimboDHimbo not an artist, but i 100% agree art should never be for profit. Ethics and piracy aside, profit is the reason why every big IP ends up being dog shit eventually. When passion is over, move on to the next cool and fun project. I’d rather spend all my savings (if i had any of course) on some random indie dev or music producer on their patreons than throwing a single penny to [insert big tech/media company]'s endless need of money. They don’t deserve it both morally and artistically. Hell if art wasn’t for profit, we wouldn’t be discussing piracy, but “who should I invest to”

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10 points

I’d say for myself it’s a tit for tat situation.

If the company I hypothetically pirate from is a total prick, mistreats their employees, donates a part of the money they earned from my purchase to lobby to my government to reduce the rights of minorities, I won’t give a single fuck. I may even just never touch their product out of spite.

Are they inoffensive and fairly neutral? I likely won’t pirate if I have the means to buy it.

Are they basically ConcernedApe? I will follow them to the ends of the earth showering them with praise and riches. Never pirate and would actively shame those who do

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4 points
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Are they basically ConcernedApe?

Literally the main person in mind when I was writing that last sentence 😂😂 he can have my money.

Edit: I pirated stardew initially, then bought three copies over the years on different platforms, either for myself or as gifts for friends.

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6 points

this. no need for a complex system to justify it to myself either.

only caveat is that its not really ‘robbing’

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2 points

I was raised on pirated copies of PS1 games and taught about torrents/P2P by my mother. I’ve been immersed in piracy since I was a child, It’s just normal to me. Never needed to make myself feel bad about it. if anything, once I got older and learned more about how the modern world works, I started to feel righteous about my actions.

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31 points

Where’s the “Rent is 60% of my monthly wage, so I can’t afford a 120 euro game.”

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4 points
26 points

I pirate be because I don’t have money, that’s why.

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15 points

In a sense, not being able to afford it is itself a region lock on it.

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3 points

If you assume they’re from countries with weaker economies. Meanwhile, I live in the US, and I survive under the poverty line. Nothing about the US is ‘region-locked’, I’m just treated like shit for being disabled. It’s a lack of income first and foremost.

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4 points
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Thank goodness LM can’t see this because that would be the cue for a corporate bootlicker to say “yOu dOnt HavE to PlAY thEm tO sURviVe”

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1 point

Which of course makes no sense - if you don’t have the money to buy it either way, pirating has no effect on revenue.

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26 points
piracy yes

Simplified it a bit

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