dadmonson Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) Look here people... http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/3153662...ism?tab=summary This is blatant theft. This is the evil form of greed ie. the greed for the unearned. How can we stop this and/or limit the people who steal Ayn Rand's works? Anybody have any suggestions? Edited March 17, 2009 by dadmonson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Look here people... http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/3153662...ism?tab=summary This is blatant theft. This is the evil form of greed ie. the greed for the unearned. How can we stop this and/or limit the people who steal Ayn Rand's works? Anybody have any suggestions? Inform the owner of the copyright, Piekoff isn't it? [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Mac Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Or is it ARI? Either way, you could email them the link as Zip suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th3ranger Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 The MPAA and the RIAA have spent years and millions if not billions trying to stop piracy. I don't think there is anything that can be done about it. Ayn Rand's works are also on http://thepiratebay.org/ and also on any number of other torrent trackers. A quick search there shows perhaps maybe 100-200 people downloading various Ayn Rand works. This is unfortunate, that ARI will not get a single dime, but the fact that some people are interested at all is probably a good thing. Perhaps they will buy real copies when they realize how wrong this is. Perhaps they will buy every Objectivist book they can get their hands on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Is this even really theft or just a transferring of data? The easier good ideas are available to the general public the better IMO. Miss Rand's been gone for quite a while now, how long can a dead man's writings be considered property? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James I Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I agree with th3ranger that it's some small consolation that if they are read by someone who understands them they will dissuade that person from stealing again. It would be ironic and hypocritical for a person to profess pro-capitalist ideas while undermining those ideas in action. But then again some people who have read Rand continue to download music illegally, I was one of them for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) There's nothing Dr. Peikoff can do about that website. They aren't like youtube, which removes videos once a copyright claim is made. They only provide the unique string (a few bytes of information) which identifies that collection of files on a file sharing network. While they are battling against lawsuits, there isn't specific legislation that prohibits them from doing that. The best thing you can do is write to your representatives in the Legislature of your country, to pass a law making the site responsible for the contents of the "torrent"(files) they are linking to. (well, they aren't really linking to it, but doing what I said above-there are other sites, also not explicitly illegal, which are linking to copyrighted material on other sites, which is a variation of the same practice) At the moment, the only people held responsible for theft are the individuals actually caught uploading or downloading the material. The website itself is allowed to function, because it only facilitates the sharing of files, without hosting any files, and with a disclaimer that says they are not responsible for the contents of those files. So, while in Western countries there is a real possibility to be sued for uploading or downloading copyrighted material (especially if it belongs to people who have the means to track you down and go after you), Dr. Peikoff himself can do very little about it. It would likely cost him more to sue and make his case (hire tech professionals and specialized lawyers) than any reparations he might get. [edit] By the way, your link might be considered the equivalent of what isohunt is doing, once removed. I'm not sure the mods of this site allow such links (I know that many forums don't), you should probably write a private message to one of them, and ask them. Edited March 17, 2009 by Jake_Ellison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEgoist Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I don't think it's a worthwhile battle. It'd be futile at this point to try and stop it. The ARI has more important things to attend to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackethan Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Great. I clicked on that link, and now I have a virus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Mac Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I clicked on it, but haven't noticed anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadmonson Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) Great. I clicked on that link, and now I have a virus. Wow, I didn't know, I posted the link forgetting about the rules. I was just in shock seeing Ayn Rand on that site. EDIT: I just ran a virus scan, and it didn't detect a virus. Edited March 17, 2009 by dadmonson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Great. I clicked on that link, and now I have a virus. Unless someone sneezed on your mouse, that's not how you got the virus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackethan Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 My friend played a prank on me, no virus. I apologize for the accusation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidV Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Look here people... http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/3153662...ism?tab=summary This is blatant theft. This is the evil form of greed ie. the greed for the unearned. How can we stop this and/or limit the people who steal Ayn Rand's works? Anybody have any suggestions? I don't sanction distributing people's work against their permission... but, how is it going to hurt Objectivism to have people who do sanction piracy do it anyway? Is this really worth caring about? By the way, if it were up to me, I would release all these books into the public domain and upload them to as many sites as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grames Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 By the way, if it were up to me, I would release all these books into the public domain and upload them to as many sites as possible. I think it is better they never go out of copyright, and the funds generated act like a billion dollar endowment subsidizing Objectivists scholars, speakers and events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I don't sanction distributing people's work against their permission... but, how is it going to hurt Objectivism to have people who do sanction piracy do it anyway? Is this really worth caring about? Objectivists are motivated to write, at least in part, by money. Unchecked piracy could prevent important works from ever being written or published. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tordmor Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I admit, I downloaded a pirated copy of atlas shrugged. But realizing it is wrong (and more importantly why) I have now bought legit copies of atlas shrugged and the fountainhead. So at least for me it turned out right. I would probably never or at least not for some years have found objectivism if not for thepiratebay, but of course that would have been my problem and by stealing atlas shrugged I received a value without having paid for it. My point is, those who download AS and don't buy a copy afterwards wouldn't have bought a copy anyways, so although it's still wrong nobody is really loosing something, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Does it matter if Ayn Rand cannot profit from her work anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidOdden Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Objectivists are motivated to write, at least in part, by money. Unchecked piracy could prevent important works from ever being written or published.Especially with reference to written works, as contrasted with spoken ones, I agree. I have often wondered whether piracy plays a role in the tendency for Objectivist thinkers to produce audio works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greebo Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 (edited) Does it matter if Ayn Rand cannot profit from her work anymore? No. She transferred ownership of her works to another upon her death. On another note I doubt this type of piracy will stop objectivist writers from producing works. Writers desire and *deserve* to be paid for their works, but writers write because they're motivated to write, first and foremost, in my experience. (Except perhaps for Pierce Antony, who was a complete and utter hack, but funny). It is a losing battle - but not one we should simply surrender to. We should *condemn* the act, and encourage those who steal the works of Ms Rand to, if they respect her works, pay for them, but beyond that there is little we can hope to achieve. All attempts to stop piracy are countered quickly and effectively by the determined thieves out there. It's the same in the software industry - you can't stop it, because someone always finds a way to defeat your efforts. The best you can do is appeal to the better nature of people and gladly accept the profits people with real character pay for your work. Edited March 18, 2009 by Greebo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas M. Miovas Jr. Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 As Ayn Rand's heir, Dr. Peikoff makes his living, in part, by the sales of Ayn Rand's work, so they are effectively stealing from him personally. These people doing this are evil, and they need to be stopped, if possible. But at least the Pirate Bay has the right name for it's evilness. I assume that they are making money from their ads, and that they would not want people coming in and stealing their revenue. However, they should turn a large portion of that advertising over to the Estate of Ayn Rand for their theft, and they should also go to jail. Objectivists ought to definitely be against this type of copyright thievery. After all, it was part of the protest of the heroes of Atlas Shrugged going on strike in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greebo Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 they need to be stopped, if possible It isn't possible. The only way *to* stop it is to "shrug". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exaltron Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Especially with reference to written works, as contrasted with spoken ones, I agree. I have often wondered whether piracy plays a role in the tendency for Objectivist thinkers to produce audio works. I've wondered about this too, one of the things that surprises me is that it is very difficult to find ARI-sponsored lectures in any format other than CD or Cassette. Most people these days have long since thrown away their cassette players, and CDs for me are just clutter. To have to pay (a lot) for a CD, wait for it to come in the mail, then rip it and put it on my iPod to listen to is just too much of a hassle for me. I guess I'm like those people that Rand criticized who would be put off going to a public library if there were too many stairs I'm sure ARI is worried about putting up mp3 or DRM-protected versions of their lectures on itunes, because of piracy, but I also think most people who would be that interested in Objectivism wouldn't be sharing their downloads. Maybe I'm just overly optimistic.. CoolBlueReason 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 As Ayn Rand's heir, Dr. Peikoff makes his living, in part, by the sales of Ayn Rand's work, so they are effectively stealing from him personally. Is making a living from herited royalties compatible with Objectivism? Maybe I misunderstood but it doesn't seem to go with this Atlas Shrugged quote: Eddie asked him once, "Francisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long lime is that none of us has ever been permitted to think he is born a d'Anconia. We are expected to become one." Greebo, I tend to agree with you on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greebo Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Is making a living from herited royalties compatible with Objectivism? Maybe I misunderstood but it doesn't seem to go with this Atlas Shrugged quote: That quote is from Francisco's childhood. Francisco inherited D'Anconia Copper (which provided an income) because he proved that he had become a D'Anconia. Dr. Peikoff inherited Ayn Rand's works because he proved himself to her as worthy. How he did so is entirely between them. That he inherited her works is all we need to know. He could have taken them and squandered them after Ms. Rand's death - and they would have been his to do so with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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