"Join The Pirate Party" ---Must Read Article
Thursday, October 15, 2009
, Posted by Nokia5800fanz at
Piracy in India is an old story, one we've been all but desensitized to since the first PC's started showing up in offices and homes. It's so open, so normal and so habitual that it's difficult to convince people that there's something wrong. And even in the last few years, with awareness campaigns and better distribution for legal softwares, the sheer audacity of the industry is still amazing to see.
Yes, piracy is a flourishing industry. Maybe people still think it happens only on the street(or Torrent sites) and are aware of the amount of money that gets siphoned out of regular channels and into black markets. Maybe the authorities still think its only a soft crime; an occasonal distraction from "real" law and other situations. Good, bad,wrong, right, consciously or not, piracy has gained enough social sanction that even registered DVD duplication units are known to accept orders for producing these knockoff discs.
The monetary value of unlicensed softwares, i.e. the loss incurred by manufacturers, was pegged at US$ 50.2 billion for the year 2008. Pirated softwares even outstrips free softwares, since the cost advantage is negated. And while India isn't one of the top 25 offenders, losses are mounting enough that manufacturers and distributors are finding it tough to do the business.
For the end consumers, on the other hand, its a bonanza. A pirated version of Windows Vista Ultimate comes for Rs.60 today, as opposed to Rs. 4900 for a legal copy of Home Basic. And Windows 7 is available on streets too, long before it will debut in shops. Who wouldnt give it a try? And who wouldn't buy five of the latest movies for RS.100 on the roadside, to watch at peace on their computers at night? Who wouldn't want to stop at a corner stall where a vendor with a cheap laptop will fill their phones with all the current Bollywood Soundtracks hits for Rs 150?
Maybe without piracy, we wouldn't watch as many movies, read as many books or use as much high-end softwares as they now do.
Maybe we wouldn't even grow or learn without it-how many of us can say our first computers used a licensed OS( or how many of us even knew there was such a distinctions)? Most likely, we'd all be quite lost and upset if all access to pirated materials was suddenly blocked.
We're at the pirate party already, and we dont even think it's a problem.....
Thanks to CHIP 4 dis superb article.!!!!
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