Theft or just a little bit of opportunism

Joseph27 · Post by **Joseph27** » 1st Apr, '13, 19:26

I am grappling with an ethical issue - is it wrong to torrent a show you love but you make sure you buy the legitimate box set once available??

expat yorkshire · Post by **expat yorkshire** » 1st Apr, '13, 23:34

If you've seen the show already , why would you buy the boxed set ?

Fat Bob · Post by **Fat Bob** » 2nd Apr, '13, 07:52

It's wrong to torrent any show. Can you get a legitimate copy through iTunes or something? Or is it available on Starhub/mio as a pay-for service?

Re iTunes: unlikely unless you are living in America with a US account. Please note, if you live in Singapore and use iTunes with a US account, it's still not legal, just less likely to end you in court.

Re buying a boxed set: again, it's not legal for you to purchase a box set from Amazon and have it shipped internationally, however, it's unlikely to end you in court.

So, in all cases, you are doing something illegal so now you've got to ask yourself how likely are you to end up in court over any individual illegality.

baloo · Post by **baloo** » 2nd Apr, '13, 08:22

Singapore allows parallel importing / grey markets so I'm not sure importing something from the US is illegal.

Fat Bob · Post by **Fat Bob** » 2nd Apr, '13, 11:50

The question is not whether you can import, but also whether Amazon can export. I know there used to be warnings on DVDs which prevented the sale of movies outside where the company was based - i.e. international selling. That doesn't seem to have been enforced.

There's also questions on whether your DVD has been certified by the MDA - it has been done before but I've not had one sent through recently (last 6 years at least)

How illegal it is and how likely you are to be put in court, and whether you would get a big fine or not is another quesiton. But you can make that same argument for torrents too!

Joseph27 · Post by **Joseph27** » 2nd Apr, '13, 18:55

Screw it - watch it first and worry later. I do respect however that Mad Men, Californication, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, House of Lies and Dexter costs money to make - and that is why I dont mind buying a box set... then again when I rip the DVD I am probably also breaking the law. Crazy

Fat Bob · Post by **Fat Bob** » 2nd Apr, '13, 22:33

DVD Ripping for personal use is not deemed to be breaking the law, as long as it's your DVD.

avatarless · Post by **avatarless** » 8th Apr, '13, 10:30

There is a difference between illegal and immoral, of course, and we can depend on our religious leaders to show us the difference

Fat Bob · Post by **Fat Bob** » 8th Apr, '13, 18:50

Heheheh!

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Theft or just a little bit of opportunism

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