“The Piracy Ship Has Sailed”

Many of us know all about the piracy epidemic that occurred in the early 2000’s.  Millions of people were downloading music, movies, and anything else they could get their hands on illegally due to the creation of various programs that were specifically designed for this purpose.  Such programs are Limewire and Napster which are all no longer still in use, but at the time, they were some of the most popular software programs available.  With digital piracy becoming so common, these industries that had their material being pirated had to come up with ways to put out the fire, which brings us to the applications we use today.

YouTube, Netflix, and iTunes are three of the biggest names when it comes to streaming movies, TV-shows, and music.  Believe it or not, we have digital piracy to thank for the development of such applications.  Streaming is the most practical and successful solution to the piracy epidemic because it allows users to get the entertainment they are looking for, but not without a cost.  Some applications like Netflix require a monthly fee and give users access to a limited amount of movies, which do not include new releases or movies in theatres.  ITunes, for example, allows you to a buy any song you want for only 1 dollar, or you can buy the entire album for a discounted price.  This solution works well and has not eliminated the issue of piracy but most certainly has limited it.

Now we must look into the future.  What is going to be the next development in the removal of digital piracy? Will there be a return of epidemic that happened in the early 2000’s? Although it is hard to tell at this point in time we can draw some conclusions based on the history of the issue and the most recent developments. Obviously, you can’t beat a free product.  The only way to compete however is to develop something that is convenient, dependable, and also valuable.  Those attributes are able to sway users from the uncomfortable feeling that comes from downloading illegally.  Many other people think that it is going to take further punishment in order for people to fully realize the seriousness of this crime. In hopes that one day, we will view digital piracy the same way we view other crimes of theft, like robbing a bank. 

In summary, technology has moved mountains in its efforts to put an end to digital piracy, but there is still room for growth.  Further innovation must be made as well as an evaluation of our own personal moral code.  We must realize that someone is losing money every time we pirate material and there are other, legal, ways that these items can be obtained.  At the speed of the advancements in technology today, businesses will continue to provide and improve on ways for us to get what we need, the right way.

Written By: Christian Prather