Another day, another fun video. Today’s is “To Catch a Pirate,” a clever parody of the hit American TV show that’s “devoted to the subject of identifying and detaining those who contact people they believe to be below the age of consent over the Internet for sexual liaisons.” Only this time, we’re dealing with filthy pirates. Software pirates, to be exact. Makes sense: the BSA is behind the video.
My one concern with the video—it’s otherwise a silly parody that won’t harm anyone—is when the host accuses the pirate of “stealing” software. I know the BSA is in the business of stopping software piracy, but there is a difference between copyright infringement and wholesale theft. If I walk into Wal-Mart and physically steal a copy of Microsoft Office, that’s one less disc the store has on hand to sell.
And if there’s any underlying hope to this video, it’s that if the BSA can commission a video like this, then perhaps it’s not going to go the RIAA route of demonizing its customers. Rather, I don’t know, maybe it wants to engage them in a productive manner?
He never actually got any pirated software in the video. There’s just ‘chat logs’ of him talking about ‘it’…sooo…why’d he get ‘arrested’?
Why do they arrest John’s that aren’t caught in the act? They are aressted for what they want to buy!
I’d better be careful who I talk to about my possible downloads eh?
Did this post just imply that downloading illegal software is not stealing?
I’m all for free software but if you download a pirated copy of MS Office it’s pretty much the same as walking into a store and taking a copy off the shelves. It’s not like stores are losing money because they don’t have enough physical copies to sell. They lose money because nobody is going to buy the software if it’s available online for free.
LOL! I always get tempted to go copy the software but I’m gonna think twice because I certainly don’t want that Reno 911 gal pinning me down.
Isn’t this ad actually implying that any software you copy is illegal?
Oh, then I guess that those Ubuntu people will be getting sued for suggesting you to download their os for free XD
So who IS going to feed his parrot???
Everyone should lighten up, this video to me was such good entertainment, you really don’t need to analyze it to death….I sense a little jealousy in some of these comments!