Traditionally, if I've torrented something and enjoyed it, I ended up paying for a commercial copy.

/has not torrented anything in 5 years

It's not illegal if Congress does it.

/I'd be shocked if they didn't put in a line exempting themselves.

That's always the general attitude, though. "Oh, I'm just trying it out before I decide to buy it. Everyone else is a thief."

cameroncrazy1984: Friskya: As long as they're downloading something useful (like porn) and not using it to download copyrighted materials, where is the problem?

You don't think porn is copyrighted?

I had a girlfriend who orgasmed like someone else held the patent.

Skail: That's always the general attitude, though. "Oh, I'm just trying it out before I decide to buy it. Everyone else is a thief."

I'm just ganking the frozen stuff because the artists don't make any money off that anyway. My money goes to live shows.

(Really sucks though that nobody decent tours through Nashville. And by "decent", we do not intend anything country.)

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: cameroncrazy1984: Friskya: As long as they're downloading something useful (like porn) and not using it to download copyrighted materials, where is the problem?

You don't think porn is copyrighted?

I had a girlfriend who orgasmed like someone else held the patent.

I had to read it a couple times, but in the end I laughed.

Friskya: cameroncrazy1984: You don't think porn is copyrighted?

Oh, I'm sure the pro stuff is. But, if someone took the time and effort to aggregate a nice collection from all the amateur sites, I don't think copyright is going to be a problem.

/plus, saves me from having to hunt it down myself

No matter amateur or pro, the rights to ANY created work are held by the creator. Copyright is automatic, and torrenting it is theft, eve if you are unlikely to get caught.

Now whether that's a moral Rubicon you want to cross is your call, but don't kid yourself that stealing low quality anything is a lesser crime.

What, again?

Damnit, that's the second time this week! You'd think after the first time they'd learn, but noooOOOOOooo, they're Congresscritters.

Gangland Creampie features interracial, heterosexual sex (I did a GIS to confirm this, NSFW obviously). That must mean Democrats downloaded it.

whither_apophis: /I'd be shocked if they didn't put in a line exempting themselves.

No no, you don't understand. They are merely downloading to examine, in detail, the problems with illegal downloading so they can write more effective laws. It's a clear case of Fair Use. Now, when you download a movie to watch in your home by yourself, you are a horrible, horrible human being.

Skail: That's always the general attitude, though. "Oh, I'm just trying it out before I decide to buy it. Everyone else is a thief."

Trying it before you buy it is a long standing tactic to get someone to buy something in almost every other industry. Except if the product you are selling comes from Hollywood. Its an broken business model and the perceived "widespread theft" of their product is a symptom of it - not the cause.

It's not ironic. They always exempt themselves from the laws.

But were they IP4 or IP6? That's the true question.

Friskya: But, if someone took the time and effort to aggregate a nice collection from all the amateur sites, I don't think copyright is going to be a problem.

Well, it probably won't be, if only because the amateurs don't have the wherewithal to sue you. But you're still violating their copyright, and depending on the terms of the site hosting the content, you might be infringing on the site's copyright (and they're more likely to sue you). Every creative work is copyrighted to the creator, automatically. You may assign some or all of those rights to a third party, like for example, by uploading a video to a hosting site (not every hosting site claims copyright over your work, but all claim that you've granted them a license to show the work). You may be engaged in a work-for-hire situation, where whatever you do automatically belongs to your employer (which is why Disney owns the work of their animators, despite the animators being the creators).

HAR-HAR. Busted.

Congressional staffers are the jiggiest loose gooses in the entire world. The kinks of the Hill are sickeningly comprehensive and there is no perversion that goes undone on a daily basis in New Rome on the Potomac.

macross87: But were they IP4 or IP6? That's the true question.

Knowing Congress' mentality, it probably transmitted through Morse code.

bravian: Its an broken business model and the perceived "widespread theft" of their product is a symptom of it - not the cause.

Yeah. I can give you a really good example how broken the industry is. I like Netflix because it's pretty good at recommending movies to me, so it's worth the $8 or whatever a month to get personal suggestions and a very convenient way to watch them.

Under the terms of their contract with the studios, Netflix won't work outside of the country. I'm in a position where I have to pay nvpn.net another $4 to make it seem like I'm coming in from the US so that I can *pay them money* to watch movies.

They are literally so scared of new technology that they won't accept money from people most people in the world. So, no, I don't consider bittorrenting a movie to be unethical when the studios purposefully put up stupid barriers for people that want to purchase the content legally.

whither_apophis: /I'd be shocked if they didn't put in a line exempting themselves.

I'm sure it's all the assistants. All the lackeys, all the secretaries, all the interns.

/i'd do it if i were them too
//because you can also put dl dvds in your office budget
///you know, for file-keeping

s2s2s2: "RESEARCH"


This. When you have 15 sequels of Bubble Butt Vixens to slog through, it's a real chore. These congresspeople are just doing the work we elected them to do, ferreting out crime and leading by example.

DarwiOdrade: Sybarite: Aarontology: Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

This is probably the one time where Over Zealous Staffer is actually to blame.


Yeah, considering their relative wealth, I kind of doubt most of the reps need to steal entertainment.

[images2.dailykos.com image 500x653]

You think they got rich by paying for stuff?

I was even more worried about the blue sliver that didn't get rich. How farkin stupid do you have to be to not get rich while being in congress?

Wonder if they can break 'em out by party?

I'd love to see just how many gigs of gay porn wind up in GOP offices every day.

Next up, a bill that will make logging congressional IP's a terrorist act.

buck1138: DarwiOdrade: Sybarite: Aarontology: Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

This is probably the one time where Over Zealous Staffer is actually to blame.


Yeah, considering their relative wealth, I kind of doubt most of the reps need to steal entertainment.

[images2.dailykos.com image 500x653]

You think they got rich by paying for stuff?

I was even more worried about the blue sliver that didn't get rich. How farkin stupid do you have to be to not get rich while being in congress?

Stupid enough to not understand that that's a mapping of the wealth distribution in the country onto Congress, and not a chart of Congress' wealth.

whither_apophis: It's not illegal if Congress does it.

/I'd be shocked if they didn't put in a line exempting themselves.

If insider trading for them is OK, I really doubt that they will sweat this one.

bravian: Skail: That's always the general attitude, though. "Oh, I'm just trying it out before I decide to buy it. Everyone else is a thief."

Trying it before you buy it is a long standing tactic to get someone to buy something in almost every other industry. Except if the product you are selling comes from Hollywood. Its an broken business model and the perceived "widespread theft" of their product is a symptom of it - not the cause.

which is why, throughout the centuries, artists and painters and sculptors and writers allowed you to keep their art in your home free of charge for 30 days after which you are offered an unconditional money back guarantee...

the "perceived widespread theft" is not a symptom of a broken business model. It is the result of technology which makes it easier than buying.

Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

It's not the Senators and Representatives; it's their staff, who are mostly in their 20s or 30s, as there's a high turn-over as they burn out or move onto better paying jobs.

buck1138: DarwiOdrade: Sybarite: Aarontology: Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

This is probably the one time where Over Zealous Staffer is actually to blame.


Yeah, considering their relative wealth, I kind of doubt most of the reps need to steal entertainment.

[images2.dailykos.com image 500x653]

You think they got rich by paying for stuff?

I was even more worried about the blue sliver that didn't get rich. How farkin stupid do you have to be to not get rich while being in congress?

you call not taking bribes and lobbyist payoffs in exchange for your votes and ethics "stupid"?

Theaetetus: buck1138: DarwiOdrade: Sybarite: Aarontology: Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

This is probably the one time where Over Zealous Staffer is actually to blame.


Yeah, considering their relative wealth, I kind of doubt most of the reps need to steal entertainment.

[images2.dailykos.com image 500x653]

You think they got rich by paying for stuff?

I was even more worried about the blue sliver that didn't get rich. How farkin stupid do you have to be to not get rich while being in congress?

Stupid enough to not understand that that's a mapping of the wealth distribution in the country onto Congress, and not a chart of Congress' wealth.

in his defense, that mapping is a tortured attempt at making some point. It doesn't really make much sense.

urban.derelict: Traditionally, if I've torrented something and enjoyed it, I ended up paying for a commercial copy.
/has not torrented anything in 5 years

This. And usually the stuff I torrented wasn't available for commercial purchase at the time.

/still no final half of Gargoyles season 2

Garble: /still no final half of Gargoyles season 2

Somebody must have screwed up and thrown it down a mineshaft with Season 3.

bravian: Except if the product you are selling comes from Hollywood.

Or from a restaurant. From them you get samples, like in trailers or demos, and not full versions. When you go to an ice cream shop and want to taste a new flavor, you get a spoonful to try. You don't get to eat a whole cone and then decide if it is worth paying for.

Entertainment purchases are different from most others in that their primary utility and value is in the initial viewing/playing, and not their ownership for future use.

Its akin to how school loans are not dischargeable through bankruptcy because unlike houses, cars, etc. there is no way to repossess the knowledge and degree that those loans paid for.

Time to fire up the cancer ray.

Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

Came to say this.

skullkrusher: Theaetetus: buck1138: DarwiOdrade: Sybarite: Aarontology: Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

This is probably the one time where Over Zealous Staffer is actually to blame.


Yeah, considering their relative wealth, I kind of doubt most of the reps need to steal entertainment.

[images2.dailykos.com image 500x653]

You think they got rich by paying for stuff?

I was even more worried about the blue sliver that didn't get rich. How farkin stupid do you have to be to not get rich while being in congress?

Stupid enough to not understand that that's a mapping of the wealth distribution in the country onto Congress, and not a chart of Congress' wealth.

in his defense, that mapping is a tortured attempt at making some point. It doesn't really make much sense.

I am here today to apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment I have caused. My failure to read has brought shame to my family, my friends, and to Fark. I hope that my resignation from this thread will allow the Fark community to recover from my inexcusable actions.

Aarontology: Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

This is probably the one time where Over Zealous Staffer is actually to blame.

I wouldn't be surpised to find a couple of actual reps doing it, but yours is the most likely scenario. The place is crawling with interns, pages and various minions who take advantage of their workplace internet connection like people anywhere else.

I want to see someone come up with a trace to show the new 3D porn playing in one of those fundie rep's office

Kyro: I'm more surprised that that many people in the house are tech-savvy enough to know how to use a torrent.

It's kind of like how scientists can teach a mouse to push buttons in a certain order, so long as food pellets come out when the mouse succeeds. Instead, we have the Internet taking the place of the scientists, and gigs upon gigs of porn taking the place of food pellets.

I used to run a server in the House, and in the Senate. Did most of my downloading in the Senate (Napster, old school).