Pirates' Creed

Last week’s lecture was really eye-opening for me. I had never been presented with a view which espoused tolerance of (what are at present) copyright violations so convincingly. I had always taken for granted that the copyright regime was rational for the most part. I had always believed that it was only proper to classify downloading and sharing of copyrighted materials as a form of piracy and, effectively, a form of stealing (I blame that really effective piracy video that first appeared on HBO, I think, which was also really refreshing, at first, but has become too pedestrian for comfort). And yet I still did it even if I believed it to be wrong. And I couldn’t really find a justification for my actions. So I resigned myself to the fact that I was a pirate. And I had learned to live with that. Who really cares?

But, now, I’ve been given this awesome justification. I’m not doing anything wrong after all. It’s the archaic nature of the law which only made me think that I was wrong. In fact, it’s the law which has failed to adapt to the demands of the times. It has failed to realize that technology isn’t just a development of scientific contraptions which can grow independently of existing laws. The considerable change in technology necessarily entailed a change in culture and in the manner that things are done. And the law should cope with these changes. After all, the law should properly be a function of technology. Thus, the law should reflect the change that occurs in the real world. The law should be changed or, at least, interpreted in such a way that it accomplishes its intent, nothing more, nothing less.

So I’m really thankful for last week’s lecture. If for nothing else, it at least presented a persuasive argument that I am not inherently a criminal.

Aldous Benjamin Camiso, Blog Entry #9.

Image Source: http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2009/07/14/the-internet-all-the-piracy-none-of-the-scurvy/the-internet-all-the-piracy-none-of-the-scurvy/