Microsoft tackles Office piracy

[K9JT]

All my Office copies are legal, so I'm not ranting about the piracy.

So you will go and buy another copy from another retailer if your first copy of thousands of rands is "illegal"?

You are not forced to go buy a legal MS copy, you can get open office if you don't want to spend money. Just because it's free, it doesn't mean it's poor quality. That's the misconception many people have today.

And not a reward for being honest! Where do you interpret that?

A reward to bust the retailers that sell Chinese pirated Office cd's, isn't that the whole idea?

Sorry, my bad, I think I may have misinterpreted that bit of the debate.


Btw, you are not forced to spend your valuable time and bandwidth to download the OGA, so there is no need for people to be up in arms about it. If you know your copy is legal, then hakuna matata! If you know your copy is illegal, and you don't care, then don't download it, simple. MS are just not prepared to devote the resources needed to root out every individual who steals from them. They would rather tackle the big syndicates and operations. But be warned, when they are prepared to tackle the average layman, you would have wished you were born a penguin ;-)

Just don't start arguing for the fact that it's "ok" for you to download illegal copies because you believe we are being robbed by high prices.

 

[EtienneK]

Remember kids: Piracy does not equal stealing.

Continue...

 

[Rouxenator]

Look, its like when they steal your car. Sure, you paid a lot of money for it way back when, but right now it is not worth much. The insurance are not gonna pay out much either.

Same goes for software. I pirate everything and if it is good I pay for it. I have saved myself a lot of money and anger this way cause quite frankly, some software is so crappy that I would not pay for them - ever.

 

[hexagon]

All creative works (music, movies, books, designs, etc) belong to their author.

If you're trying to assert that intellectual property is 100% equivalent to physical property, I can't agree with you (and neither does the law). Copyright was instituted for creative works so that authors could enjoy *limited* profitability from them. This gives the incentive to create, but also allows works to enter the public domain once they have become part of the general consciousness.

As others have pointed out, we now have the magical Star Trek replicator to create clones of works, and while there are most definitely moral considerations, physical analogies *break down*. In the first place, stealing a physical work literally deprives the owner of its use, whereas replicating a software work deprives the publisher of *potential, hypothetical* income. Both the crimes and victims are categorically different.

 

[tooone7]

um, no... that would be an unlicensed copy. Stealing is when I lift your cellphone.

No, you steal from that company. I can't believe you don't see it as stealing. How is it not? You have come by the software illegally, made an "unlicensed copy".

Here's a waaay better answer :

You're making a distinction without a difference. Why is 'lifting your cellphone' stealing? It could just be 'unauthorised borrowing'. The intention of the 'lifter' is important, but so too is the permission of the owner.

If you knowingly and intentionally create/ use an unlicensed copy, you're stealing. All creative works (music, movies, books, designs, etc) belong to their author. Why should Microsoft's rights be any less than mine or yours, or is it OK to reduce people's rights as they become more successful? Punishing the successful would be a great incentive to work hard and do well, eh. You forget that Microsoft wasn't always this large -- it's the ambition of most software vendors to get where MS is -- MS was once way behind the dominant behemoths in the early PC years, in both operating systems and apps. Remember CPM/86, DR-DOS, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, dBaseIII, Corel Draw and the like? You forget why users switched from those.

And using the argument that "I'm just a poor guy trying to make a living and can't afford R6K for MS Office" is disingenuous, fatuous and meretricious. If MS Office were the only game in town one could perhaps sympathise, but because an alternative (OpenOffice), widely touted as better, is freely available, it makes the case for stealing MS Office even weaker.

If you can't afford MS Office, use something else, or create your own. Same holds for anything else you desire.

Once you start rationalising or excusing theft, you're well on the way to personal moral collapse and become a threat to honest people, society, and civilisation itself.

To all of you who pirate software/buy pirated software. Thinkk about it, if everyone pirates a CD of your favorite artist, DVD's of you favorite movies, Software from some of the best developers out there, if everyone did that the guys making the CD's, movies and software will not make money anymore and for them it is not worth their time making those things for you and then none of them will do it anymore and there will be no-more of your favorites around. I may sound silly but it is true. Stop pirating stuf and get freeware instead or make your own music and try making money when everyone steals it.

 

[Rouxenator]

Thinkk about it, if everyone pirates a CD of your favorite artist, DVD's of you favorite movies, Software from some of the best developers out there, if everyone did that the guys making the CD's, movies and software will not make money anymore and for them it is not worth their time making those things for you and then none of them will do it anymore and there will be no-more of your favorites around. I may sound silly but it is true. Stop pirating stuf and get freeware instead or make your own music and try making money when everyone steals it.

Firstly, open source seems to be doing pretty good and I have seen some excellent developers contributing to open source.

Secondly, people in the entertainment business are too rich. This goes all the way from celebrities to media company bosses. They have to start coming to terms that the real working class is not willing to fork out such large amounts of money for their stuff.

Start getting as poor as us middle class folks - make your money from public performances and let the rest be free. Add a Paypal Donate button to your sites if you need more money to fuel your expensive exotic cars.

This is the leveling stage - get used to it.

 

[Kloofvreter]

OpenOffice > Office 2007

No chance. Can't even access my Exchange 2003 mailbox. OO FTL.

 

[daveza]

if everyone did that the guys making the CD's, movies and software will not make money anymore

You don't mention that the artists themselves will not make money anymore.

I could care less if the recording companies have one less jet while the artists slog away night after night getting their tiny cut of the profits from a cd.

Stop producing one day wonder rubbish and sell stuff that people will listen to in 10 years time.

A R1.00 blank cd is burnt then retails at over R150 - why ?

 

[tooone7]

Firstly, open source seems to be doing pretty good and I have seen some excellent developers contributing to open source.

Secondly, people in the entertainment business are too rich. This goes all the way from celebrities to media company bosses. They have to start coming to terms that the real working class is not willing to fork out such large amounts of money for their stuff.

Start getting as poor as us middle class folks - make your money from public performances and let the rest be free. Add a Paypal Donate button to your sites if you need more money to fuel your expensive exotic cars.

This is the leveling stage - get used to it.

There is still no reason to steal the things that they created. If you cannot afford it leave it alone? If you can't afford a exotic car but you really like it, will you steal it? It is up to the developers to decide if they want to create freeware or if they want to make money, it is their skills after all.

You don't mention that the artists themselves will not make money anymore.

I could care less if the recording companies have one less jet while the artists slog away night after night getting their tiny cut of the profits from a cd.

Stop producing one day wonder rubbish and sell stuff that people will listen to in 10 years time.

A R1.00 blank cd is burnt then retails at over R150 - why ?

Same goes for you it is still no reason to steal.
Well it doesn't take the artist a few mins to write the new lyrics and to get the sound just right, it takes time to produce quality music, movies etc, and he has to pay he's producer and everyone working for him. But he made that CD, didn't he? He has the right to ask whatever price he likes.

I do agree, Cd's are a bit overpriced and if they were cheaper there would be way less piracy going on. It is way cooler to own the original CD, isn't it? But still, piracy IS stealing.

 

[Rouxenator]

There is still no reason to steal the things that they created. If you cannot afford it leave it alone? If you can't afford a exotic car but you really like it, will you steal it? It is up to the developers to decide if they want to create freeware or if they want to make money, it is their skills after all.

I am much more likely to get caught stealing a car - so no I would not steal one.

I will take things without paying for them if the risk is low enough and I believe it should be free. I would buy directly from music artists if I can to avoid other from profiteering off their creativity.

 

[tooone7]

I are much more likely to get caught stealing a car - so no I would not steal one.

I will take things without paying for them if the risk is low enough and I believe it should be free. I would buy directly from music artists if I can to avoid other from profiteering off their creativity.

So you admit to stealing? Yet you want crime in this country to stop? I believe you want to. The logic behind your response is sickening. If everyone thought like that the world would crumble.

If someone that is really poor need food but cannot afford it sees a shop with no cameras to film he's action and no-one around to see him, there is low risk so he will break in AND he thinks food should be free. That does not justify your actions. You see what I'm getting at? Seriously sickening if you think what would happen if everyone thought like you.

 

[daveza]

I would buy directly from music artists if I can to avoid other from profiteering off their creativity.

True artists can always make music without recording moguls.

Recording moguls are nothing without the artists - yet who makes the most profit ?

 

[Rouxenator]

So you admit to stealing? Yet you want crime in this country to stop? I believe you want to. The logic behind your response is sickening. If everyone thought like that the world would crumble.

Buddy, crime is not binary, there is stealing an exotic car and then there is stealing software that is worthless. Then there is donating to open source projects like ReactOS. Yeah sure I admit to stealing software, music, movies, porn - lost of electronic media. I also buy some of them if I find them to be worth it.

My logic is not sickening, if everyone admitted to doing the same thing we would have a lot less lying going on. C'mon, you steal too - admit it.

If someone that is really poor need food but cannot afford it sees a shop with no cameras to film he's action and no-one around to see him, there is low risk so he will break in AND he thinks food should be free. That does not justify your actions. You see what I'm getting at? Seriously sickening if you think what would happen if everyone thought like you.

I pay insane amounts of tax for the goverment to feed that person. Plus are a few epidemics out there that is busying killing off people like that (I hope).

 

[tooone7]

Buddy, crime is not binary, there is stealing an exotic car and then there is stealing software that is worthless.

Lol, why would you steal it if it was worthless?

My logic is not sickening, if everyone admitted to doing the same thing we would have a lot less lying going on. C'mon, you steal too - admit it.

Uhm yea i have pirated stuff i admit that, but that isn't the point. So what if everyone admits they pirated? It won't help the cause would it? No. I'm just saying pirating software is stealing and people need to understand that. But i think if everyone justified their actions like you did it wouldn't be a nice world to live in.

Plus are a few epidemics out there that is busying killing off people like that (I hope).

Sorry i don't understand what you mean here..

 

[Rouxenator]

Lol, why would you steal it if it was worthless?

Uhm yea i have pirated stuff i admit that, but that isn't the point. So what if everyone admits they pirated? It won't help the cause would it? No. I'm just saying pirating software is stealing and people need to understand that. But i think if everyone justified their actions like you did it wouldn't be a nice world to live in.

Sorry i don't understand what you mean here..

When I pirate worhless software I see it as evaluation there of, not stealing. But I also pirate worthy software, thereby stealing, and I really have not problem with that. You do it to so whats the problem here?

Companies often say how much they loose with piracy but they fail to see that very few pirated copies would have been real sales if it could not have been pirated. People attach a certain value to something and if it exceeds that value they will either pirate it or just not get it.

Someone should not steal bread or food because I am paying a crap load of tax that should be used to care for them. Alternatively things like AIDS is there to rid the world of these type of wellfare parasites.

 

[trancehead]

Someone should not steal bread or food because I am paying a crap load of tax that should be used to care for them. Alternatively things like AIDS is there to rid the world of these type of wellfare parasites.

What a ****.

 

[Rouxenator]

What a ****.

At least I am a **** that pays tax.

 

[trancehead]

As you say, at least you're a ****

 

[tooone7]

Someone should not steal bread or food because I am paying a crap load of tax that should be used to care for them. Alternatively things like AIDS is there to rid the world of these type of wellfare parasites.

You should not steal software/dvds/cd's because other people needs to get paid so that they can buy food and provide for themselves and/or their families. If you buy it then there will be less ppl ("wellfare parasites") to live off your taxes.

Stop stealing and trying to justify your actions when you know you are wrong.

 

[Mouse]

No chance. Can't even access my Exchange 2003 mailbox. OO FTL.

use the outlook web access, problem solved.