The only piracy I've done and I can easily justify is restoring software to a working state by downgrading it to a pirated version.
I've pirated various versions of Windows to downgrade it to attempt to get a computer working.
The computer I was working with has a full Windows license. Windows just refused to work.

It's also really useful for obtaining compatibility, but that's a much weaker argument, because one could see the incompatibility as part of the price.
Often unintentional pirated versions have a wider platform support than non-pirated versions.

I used it to test ms office on Linux and discovered that while the office installer doesn't work, the important software behind it(Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, etc.) does.(I don't even use ms office, but I wanted to learn how to use winetricks)
Same is true for Photoshop(although there is a non-piracy workaround involving a windows vm)


Also according to Sam Altman it's justifiable when you use it to make cool stuff.

Eh. It don't matter to me either way. There are things I will never pay for. Never have and never will. If a game devs makes a game I want, the way I want it to be made and it work natively on linux without a launcher and DRM-Free and it works offline...they gonna get my coin.

Last edited by Mezron on 8 October 2024 at 6:29 pm UTC

Justified piracy like seizing weapons cargo to non-state actor with the blessing of a UN mandate or like disrespecting software license ?

In the second case, I think there is a gray zone when it is understood that you can use a pirated version of a software (with a ten of thousand of euro pricetag) while finalizing the buying of the license because de company in the receiving end of 50 000 bucks will not complain.

If no one involved with creating something will see a cent from a legitimate sale, then I have no problem with just downloading it. No point in paying hundreds of dollars for a secondhand copy of an obscure SNES game from a company that went bankrupt over a decade ago.

"Piracy" is the natural consequence of shoehorning an ownership model on a cultural product.

Shift away from "purchasing" and "owning" to "paying for something you enjoyed" and so-called pirates become dicks who don't want to contribute, as opposed to clever consumers going for the superior products at lower prices.

On the flip side, any developer/publisher that claims the right to restrict how we peruse the various media is a filthy cultural pirate that deserves to have every bit of their production "stolen".

Disclaimer: this is neither legal nor ethical advice. If you get into trouble for acting according to this philosophy, that's on you.

Last edited by emphy on 9 October 2024 at 2:45 am UTC

QuoteOwners use smear words such as “piracy” and “theft,” as well as expert terminology such as “intellectual property” and “damage,” to suggest a certain line of thinking to the public — a simplistic analogy between programs and physical objects.
Our ideas and intuitions about property for material objects are about whether it is right to take an object away from someone else. They don't directly apply to making a copy of something. But the owners ask us to apply them anyway.

As a computer user today, you may find yourself using a proprietary program. If your friend asks to make a copy, it would be wrong to refuse. Cooperation is more important than copyright. But underground, closet cooperation does not make for a good society. A person should aspire to live an upright life openly with pride, and this means saying no to proprietary software.

Richard Stallman

I live in a 2nd world country and some years ago, when we didn't have streaming services or even the ability to rent media online (when physical rental places have long gone out of business) I was wishing for a law that if something is not offered for sale/rental in your country it's legal to pirate it. As a way to entice all those foreign media companies to offer their stuff all over the world without making artificial barriers of licenses, distribution agreements, etc.

Quoting: RubyRose136Note that I'm not making an incentive to piracy, only talking about it.

Oh mysterious starter of threads, what is your take on the issue?