Mobile Computing News

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A massive police raid is being carried out across 14 countries in Europe at present in a bid to snuff out illegal file sharers. Only four arrests have been made so far, with this number expected to climb as the sting carries on. As if prison is not enough of a deterrent, we have three more very good reasons to stop piracy in your own home.

Reason One: There are fantastic substitutes

With illegal content sharing being so prevalent, various industries, entrepreneurs and web services have emerged to proactively deter users from needing to steal (that’s what piracy is, you know) from content producers. Music services like Spotify and movie services like Netflix now stream unlimited content on demand either for free, or for an affordable, sub-£10 monthly fee. Add to that the awesome recommendation engines and social tools built into many of these services, as well as the fantastic integration with audio systems and smartphones, by pirating you’re taking the roundabout, tedious way of getting content.

Reason Two: Adverse effects on retail price of goods

While data is not irrefutably conclusive, it stands to reason that pirating content, especially expensive-to-make software, has an adverse effect on the retail price of that software. In worst case scenarios, some companies actually go under due to rife software piracy, robbing you of the ability of using applications you may have grown fond of yet do not consider worthy of paying. To stop piracy is also to support applications, musicians and filmmakers you enjoy interacting with.

Reason Three: It’s illegal

The fact that it is prohibited by law is, strangely, the smallest deterrent. The truth is very few of us are mass pirates. We get the odd song here and there and the odd film here and there, but we think it won’t hurt and, more importantly, we think we won’t be caught. This Europe-wide sting suggests otherwise. You may not go to jail, but people like this unlucky guy who is $1.3 million in the red because of piracy will argue vehemently why piracy is not so smart a move.

It’s really simple – help stop piracy by not practicing it yourself. We won’t stand on a high horse, claiming complete benevolence and innocence, but when you stop to weigh the pros and cons of piracy beyond that instant gratification, you realise the negative effect it really has.