WEEK 4: Brazen Theft in Age of Information

Slane (2007) points out that as a result of it is an emerging society, information and knowledge can be produced, exchanged, shared and communicated through all the networks of the world. There is no gainsaying that the network has promoted cultural exchange, however it also bring hidden troubles of piracy.
It is a disaster for practitioners of Creative Industries if their copyright does not get be protected effectively. As Jon (2007) says, if you can not protect your original work from piracy, you don’t own anything.
Pirate Software and movies remain incessant after repeated prohibition while music and other copyrighted material is being downloading illegally all the time as well. Katz (2005) believes that copying software without authorization is equal to stealing. There is no good excuse for using pirated software or film, if you use or buy pirated software or film, you are breaking the law.
Have you ever consider the lost of income to copyright owners due to the illegal downloading? No matter it is a film, software, game or music, it is someone else's property – their intellectual property.


Reference list:

Jon, Lewis. 2007. “If You Can't Protect What You Own, You Don't Own Anything:Piracy, Privacy, and Public Relations in 21st Century Hollywood.” Cinema Journal 46(2): 145-150. 2007.

Katz, Ariel. 2005. “A Network Effects Perspective on Software Piracy.” University of Toronto Law Journal 55(2): 155-216. Spring 2005.

Slane, Andrea. 2007. “Democracy, Social Space, and the Internet.” University of Toronto Law Journal 57(1): 81-105. Winter 2007.