A little entry in the WSJ noted that Bill Gates watch pirated content on the internet. The worlds richest man, who one fought against piracy accessed stolen content.
WSJ: You watch physics lectures and Harlem Globetrotters [on YouTube]?
Gates: This social-networking thing takes you to crazy places.
WSJ: But those were stolen, correct?
Gates: Stolen's a strong word. It's copyrighted content that the owner wasn't paid for. So yes.
Has society deemed Internet piracy the standard like speeding? Sure we all speed when traveling in a car. We figure that five miles over is a good speed, the cop had a good day, had his donut and doesn't care.
There is only one big problem with this. The cop is the MPAA and the RIAA. They have more money than the Church of Scientology and they have friends in Washington DC. This means the new IP Law would land Gates in jail for 10 years?
It is time to stop the madness and find a way to distribute movies and media without cheap plastic discs and use the bandwidth. Oh and since you are at it, make it inexpensive to do and let us retain our copy in case our house burns down or our computer crashes. They are out for money, nothing more. Of course, very few companies are out for the greater good. Remember, "Do No Evil".
I could of course be on the side of the consumer since I am a consumer. One look at my DVD collection shows I enjoy watching movies (movie taste is questionable of course) but I still support the EFF and their work.