Taking a Harder Line on Piracy

Taking a Harder Line on Piracy (Washington Post)

I've always felt there are two different types of piracy in the world. There is the newer high tech more individual version of piracy. This is done by college and high school kids and some tech savvy individuals who want to put the time and effort into downloading movies and music illegally. Then there is the mass produced kind that results from groups manufacturing large quantities of music, movies, and software to sell on streets. The street vending pirates are very often looked as dirty thieves and scam artists by the first group of pirates. The first group simply wants to obtain their products for free, while the second wants to get it for free and then turn a profit on it. I believe the stance against individuals downloading personal copies of things is far to harsh, while those against sellers are far to lenient.

This leads me to support this move by the government (something I do don't often). Not only does it push for tougher penalties and more enforcement of the distribution of illegally pirated materials but also pushes for stopping the reasons for piracy. China slows the distribution of imports through their import system and these leads many to buy their goods pirated, since it is the only way they can get them. Cutting down the reasons for piracy will cut much piracy. Obviously free always wins, but many people are willing to pay a small fee for ease of use and reliability. I also support the moves to impose tariffs against China if they do not follow some basic rules of trade. If they are willing to hurt US imports they need to suffer the consequences.