5/28 - The War Against Digital Piracy

Here is a very interesting article I think all of you should read. If you've been on the internet as long as I have(Ever since I was 12), then this is news you need to hear. It might effect you.

http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/27/6732624-us-goes-on-offense-against-digital-piracy

Now... I don't like digital piracy. If there's a movie I'd like to see, I'd rather pay that movie ticket to go see it. After all, my money goes to all of the people who worked so hard on that movie. The same thing goes with music, too. I want to see the people get their paycheck to pay their bills so I'll bring up the money to purchase it legally.

However, there's a bit of an... issue with what I see in their war against digital piracy.

So let's say they take down 200 piracy websites this year. A good 5,000 will pop up even more. What about the ones that are stationed outside of the US? How will they shut that down and prevent Americans from accessing that material? What about the Americans who go in and view it? Do you arrest and charge them for accessing it?

I understand that American business is being threatened, but, hey! I have a great idea for you business owners who hate digital piracy! Take a listen, its priceless.

Instead of using fear tactics and cracking down on a meaningless campaign(Seriously. The internet is practically endless), why not take a page from the pirate's book? Put your product out there legally and expand on it! Hulu and a few others are doing it but that isn't enough. It isn't enough to expand for people and most of it is just television shows or movies that aren't too popular.

If you would take your product, compete against piracy and made it more accessible to your customers alike via internet with the streaming and more? I think you could make up all the revenues you've lost from piracy. I mean, lets take a view at video games. In particular? The MMO Microtransactions.

In case you don't know what an MMO is, an MMO is a multiplayer online game(EX: World of Warcraft). The trend is going to F2P(Free To Play) and allowing people to try their product for free. If you want anything extra, you could pay for points and pick up what you needed. Sometimes, if you really want to commit what the company is offering? You can pick a payment plan that gives you great bonuses in the game your playing.

That is a micro transaction. It is a gold mine right now and more companies are converting their products to F2P to earn more of a profit.

Take a page from their books, people!!

You have something you can turn piracy around! You can invest into the internet and streaming your movies, television shows, music videos and more out there. As they say, if you can't beat 'em? Join 'em! THATS the tactic you should take! Heck, you could use even the F2P market and adjust it a bit to your liking. Use something. Anything!

While it won't eliminate piracy forever, you might be able to put them out of business with the aggressive push out into the market. It isn't going to just take a push with enforcing the goverment to crack down. You can still do this but I truly believe if they tried new tactics that digital piracy has been using for years, then they might be able to dry them out and get their businesses back.

It might be difficult, now, with the way the economy is but if they'd push that out onto the internet market? I'd be more then happy to use that product and promote the end of digital piracy in the long run. 

It does have to go.