buying original goods hurts economy

last SG · 2004-09-13T11:03:14+00:00

What is piracy?Is it just anothe point of view brought about by unparalled supernormal profits earned by companies whose work is outsourced and the majority...

skyfoo SG

is piracy as worse as whoever claimed to be? think again. buying original could be worst. when we buy original goods like cds of movies and music, we have to pay $15++. i dunno but i believe that majority of the money will go to the distributors, companies and the artistes. and where are they based? in taiwan, china, usa, england, australia… expect cases like the singaporean singers and movies. so our money will likely stay aboard. thus, when we buy original goods, we’re just giving our money to other countries, which are unlikely to use them to invest in singapore. actually, i really dunno about this, but it make sense to me. also, dun support piracy either as these synicate mostly are not based in singapore.

robertteh SG

The way to solve counter-feiting problem is to legalise it. For example, when we cannot eradicate prostitution or gambling, we can legalise them

Let the counterfeitors register in a "Counterfeiter Office or Registrar" and let them pay a percentage as royalty towards an international body of authors or artists. Rolling Eyes

paperchicken SG

I think skyfoo is a clone. Rolling Eyes

Qitai SG

*Faint*

I am speechless at your proposal Shocked Shocked

robertteh SG

To:Qitai,

I think the Performing Rights Society will be too happy to collect such extra royalties from counterfeitors.

After all, counterfeitors sell by volumes and could pay quite substantially if volumes are large. So my idea is actually quite practical. Rolling Eyes

Qitai SG

*Double Faint*

Shakes head and walk off

CX SG

yes, pirates sell by volumes but they also undercut legitimate vendors. the percentage that they agree to share with the ones who owns the rights would be insignificant compared to when they sell software through proper channels.

say i sell a software for $1000 and my vendor is entitled to a 20% commission, i get $800... these 800 goes towards packaging, distribution, marketing and future R & D...

but if i let pirates sell it, they sell 1 CD for $5 to $8... if i take 20% from them, eh... enough for kopi and kaya toast only leh... yah lah... u multiply by 100, 1000 or 10 000, it adds up, but the point is, u are making a loss!

sell so many, get so little in return only???

i dun like the way software companies overcharges as well... but i think they have a point... a great deal of hard work and resources went into making the software. so if its all that good, and especially if u are making money with the software, u SHOULD be paying the full price for it...

skyfoo SG

ok, another thing. u can go around ask any singers what they really want, money or more ppls to listen to their music. i believe 90% will choose the latter. if so, by buying pirated cds or downloading the songs, it is because we like their music. and this is what they want. win-win situation, they got their appreciation and we got our songs(cheaper).

sgdiehard SG

can't catch the thieves so let them register and pay part of their loots back to the owner.....problem solves????

Speechless!!! Laughing

paperchicken SG

I will support the artist I like by buying their original cds. Rolling Eyes

paperchicken SG

If you go around asking, most employees want their boss to appreciate their work. So if they are underpaid its because their boss like their work. Its a win-win situation, the employees get their appreciation and the boss save on costs. Laughing

sgdiehard SG

George Clooney was asked once if he choose to act in a movie based on the script or the money. He said as an artist he choose the script he likes, but if they pay him US$20million, which is crazy, but why not? How much to price the 'Hard work'? The rich get richer, the poor gets poorer.

The original sound track of Jay chou is sold at 20 RMB which is about S$4.16. It is sold here at S$19.90 here. If you can pay, they charge you more. Nothing to do with the 'hardwork'.

How many people/companies buy original microsoft windows to lean how to use WORDS and EXCEL?? The pirated copies actually helped microsoft promote their software. Bill Gates is already very very rich. The rich gets richer, the poor gets poor.

If not for the pirated VCD, the prices of the original VCD and DVD will still be around $$60.

The pirated CD vendors are still thieves, but who said Robin Hood is not a thief? Thieves are not necessarily bad!! Very Happy

pkchukiss SG

These commercial companies set their prices at a level that the market is willing to pay; pirated copies only serve to depress this price, and prevent these companies from setting ridiculous prices.

I believe that the presence of CD pirates is a matter of a natural response towards checking the market, no matter how illegal it is. The only way to eliminate this syndrome would be for the copyright holders to licence their intellectual properties at an even more realistic prices -- they are reaping tons of profit as it is, and keeping most of it in their coffers, giving a minute amount to the artistes. Paying more would only result in profitting these companies, not helping the artistes.

The Barracuda SG

How will the artist benefit when pirates dont pay any royalties to the artist ?

The price difference between the cost of pirate producing a cd and sales price of the original does not take into account the marketing and costs of grooming an artist. Will the production companies be profitable if they sell their products at the price of the pirates ? Do the pirates give any guarantee of quality ?

Ultimately the consumer will suffer because of piracy because a smaller profit will give recording companies less incentive to groom new artists and produce a wider variety of music. Are the pirates going to do that with their profits ?

Piracy is a crime. Do not support piracy.

robertteh SG

The original Rolex is sold at thousand of dollars.

China is making 99 % of Rolex mechanism except for certain critical parts and is willing to sell near to orginal Rolex at one third of original Rolex price.

The same goes for cars and many other products of high quality. Is there profiteering by original producers or manufacturers of various products? It seems that once a company is able to succeed in a particular line of product like Mercedes or Toyota, it is unlikely to price its products fairly but will capitalize on its marketing success to charge higher and higher.

Consumers will need protections against profiteering. Higher end profiteering is often not recognized but only the lower end profiteering that may support the whole population of its nascent or fledgering industries.

That may be one of the reasons why certain developing or newly developed countries are not very keen in subscribing to international copyright conventions. Rolling Eyes

CX SG

think beyond the mundane stuff that we use every day... how about 3D modelling software? autocad? flash? software that have a very specific industrial or commercial application and whose purchase adds tremendous value to a company.

these are not software that the average consumer needs to buy... many may not know how to use them even... but companies who use them, use them to make a lot of money.

i can't build a house if i don't buy bricks. if i have built a house with the bricks ordered from a supplier and i am happily living in the house, is it right that i decide not to pay the brick supplier later?

morever, don't assume that all software are made by millionaire programmers... millionaire scums like Bill Gates makes tons of money because they pay their people crap and outsource functions to places with lower costs, like india.

sgdiehard SG

You are right, those are not the kind of software normal persons would buy so its impact is purely business. Now I cannot buy a typewriter anymore, have to buy a desktop, then have to use Windows, have to use words......this is an average person talking.

I don't know who write the program, and I don't care. It is the companies who pay crap to their people, not the users!! and if the users buy more originals, do you think Bill Gates will pay their people more?? They outsource to increase their profits, not to increase their staff pays!! In fact, if their staff pays are high, then they will outsource. So, buy originals and pay them more??

pkchukiss SG

Of course pirates don't pay any royalties to the artistes! They keep the profits for their own nefarious activities! You are right, piracy IS a crime, and should never be condoned.

What I am trying to say is that piracy is a natural consequence of artificially high prices for the original products. It is plain theft outright.

To counter them, the recording companies need to come up with a fairer price for the market. If they find it reasonable, there is no way piracy can survive.

skyfoo SG

employees work becoz of the money. singers sing because of their interests. diff cases.

skyfoo SG

actually downloading is more practical, we can get the programs for free. when we pay for originals and pirated, we’re giving away money. even without singapore’s contribution, they will go on, no matter software, movies or music. why dun we spend the money on other things like food, clothes… and boost singapore’s economy?