Pirating Software, Movies, Music, and TV Shows Can Be Appealing

There is a lot of appeal for pirating software, movies, and TV shows. This is commonly called warez although this used to refer primarily to software such as games and applications. In recent years movies and TV shows have become very popular items to pirate. This is because people tend to be busy and want to have more flexibility over when they can watch shows and movies. Thus being able to download episodes is good if you missed it. Also being able to watch new movies in the comfort of your own home and save money is very appealing to many.

The problem with the above is that it is illegal. Whenever you pirate software or movies or tv shows you are violating existing copyright laws designed to protect those who make the content. Thus by doing so many argue that you are stealing and not paying for what you should be paying for. This has caused a great debate amongst many politicians and consumers alike.

In recent years the pirating of music has really taken the spotlight. People have been busted for using services such as Napster and Bit torrent. Many colleges have really cracked down on pirating and have made it very difficult for students to get away with it depending on what they use to obtain it. Fines are often imposed and sometimes jail time is also a punishment.

Last year the writer's strike caused TV shows to stop being aired. The problem was that the writer's wanted money for TV shows that were being showed online. This finally got resolved and now most networks are putting TV shows online and on demand with limited commercial interruptions. This makes it possible to essentially be able to watch your favorite shows at a time that works for you. The commercials are usually very limited and much less than when watched live on the air.

This makes the programs seem shorter and thus you can watch more in the same amount of time. This has additional benefits as well. It is unlikely that the movie industry will ever go in this direction. They make a lot of money on releasing movies to theatres and then typically wait until a DVD release is made. Netflix has made it possible to watch movies on demand; however, movies typically require a lot of bandwidth if you want good quality. That is another problem with TV shows online. The quality is not as good as that on the air due to bandwidth limitations. As technology continues to grow this may not be a problem but will likely take several decades.

While pirating has its appeal it should be used with extreme caution. It can cause you to have to pay fines and even spend time in jail. Paying for content is the best way. As consumers continue to demand new things such as being able to watch shows and movies on their computer on demand companies will have to adapt and make changes.