I understand Vlad Dudau?s point and I can?t even imagine how frustrating it must have been to grow up in a country so closed to outside products and so restricted that the thought of them being sold legally was at one point unimaginable. However, he makes some very dangerous comments that I think are worth taking a second look at. Firstly, lets not blame companies like Microsoft for how they choose to price their goods: they have invested the time, money, energy, blood, sweat and tears into making that product and it is their right to price that product how they chose. They are not obligated to price according to what the consumer can afford. If that were the case, my closet would be replete with Burberry jackets, Christian Loubiton shoes and a mess of designer handbags. Alas, my closet does not even closely resemble such an image. And that is because those products are beyond my bank account and thus, I do not own them. To suggest that something deserves to be stolen because it is expensive is ludicrous. Moreover, to quote Bill Gates as understanding benefits of piracy is misleading. Bill Gates is trying to adapt his business model to the realities of the world and those realities include the existence of piracy. He is not implying that piracy is beneficial or that he hopes it continues. I am positive that if you asked Mr. Gates today if he could eradicate piracy, he would most happily oblige. I think the statement ?we knew pirating was wrong but we didn?t have any choice? sums up my argument pretty well: people like to hide behind the excuse that they didn?t have a choice but our whole lives are about choices. What these people decided was that living without such coveted software was too high a price to be asked for following the law. So instead they stole so that they could avoid a life without software of the most elite kind. Now ask me again, how does that seem justified?
We are talking about one clip here. Its virtually impossible to justify that the promotional benefits the artists or NBC may have enjoyed by allowing the clip to be shown would outweigh the artist's right to have the song used at their discretion. The other sites you refer to, which are allowing the clip to be shown, are violating the law in the same manner that NBC was trying to avoid by refusing to show the clip. The "stupidity" to which your article refers is the ethical choice made by NBC to adhere to the copyright laws that directly apply to them. I, too, am a fan of SNL and enjoy watching one of their infamous viral clips now and again. However, my own entertainment and enjoyment that I derive from those clips is not worth having if it comes at the expense of the artists that in any way facilitate its creation. If this clip is really that important to you, or if you find it that hysterically funny, I am positive you can find it for purchase on itunes, nbc, or at your local target (if you want the entire season). There are rules for a reason and regardless of how much they may hinder our "fun" we still have to adhere to them.
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Piracy
I understand Vlad Dudau?s point and I can?t even imagine how frustrating it must have been to grow up in a country so closed to outside products and so restricted that the thought of them being sold legally was at one point unimaginable. However, he makes some very dangerous comments that I think are worth taking a second look at. Firstly, lets not blame companies like Microsoft for how they choose to price their goods: they have invested the time, money, energy, blood, sweat and tears into making that product and it is their right to price that product how they chose. They are not obligated to price according to what the consumer can afford. If that were the case, my closet would be replete with Burberry jackets, Christian Loubiton shoes and a mess of designer handbags. Alas, my closet does not even closely resemble such an image. And that is because those products are beyond my bank account and thus, I do not own them. To suggest that something deserves to be stolen because it is expensive is ludicrous. Moreover, to quote Bill Gates as understanding benefits of piracy is misleading. Bill Gates is trying to adapt his business model to the realities of the world and those realities include the existence of piracy. He is not implying that piracy is beneficial or that he hopes it continues. I am positive that if you asked Mr. Gates today if he could eradicate piracy, he would most happily oblige. I think the statement ?we knew pirating was wrong but we didn?t have any choice? sums up my argument pretty well: people like to hide behind the excuse that they didn?t have a choice but our whole lives are about choices. What these people decided was that living without such coveted software was too high a price to be asked for following the law. So instead they stole so that they could avoid a life without software of the most elite kind. Now ask me again, how does that seem justified?
We are talking about one clip here. Its virtually impossible to justify that the promotional benefits the artists or NBC may have enjoyed by allowing the clip to be shown would outweigh the artist's right to have the song used at their discretion. The other sites you refer to, which are allowing the clip to be shown, are violating the law in the same manner that NBC was trying to avoid by refusing to show the clip. The "stupidity" to which your article refers is the ethical choice made by NBC to adhere to the copyright laws that directly apply to them. I, too, am a fan of SNL and enjoy watching one of their infamous viral clips now and again. However, my own entertainment and enjoyment that I derive from those clips is not worth having if it comes at the expense of the artists that in any way facilitate its creation. If this clip is really that important to you, or if you find it that hysterically funny, I am positive you can find it for purchase on itunes, nbc, or at your local target (if you want the entire season). There are rules for a reason and regardless of how much they may hinder our "fun" we still have to adhere to them.