Call of Duty: Black Ops named 2010's most pirated PC game

User Comments: 86

1. January 2, 2011 5:03 AM
   

   Darkshadoe said:

   1. Illegal downloading is theft.

   No. Its copyright infringement. To be theft, you would have to take the only copy of COD that Activision has and keep them from from their property. Also, copyright infringement cases are settled in civil court, not criminal court.

   2. Illegal downloading is putting companies out of business.

   No. Activision, Electronic Arts, Ubi Soft, and many other are still going strong and making profit despite illegal downloading. Some companies have even gotten busted using illegal downloading to boost their place in the market and profits (EMI).

   3. Developers are starving because of illegal downloading.

   This is just too ridiculous to argue. Development teams get paid during the development of a game. I seriously doubt a programmer would wait 2 to 3 years to get paid.

   4. I'm sticking it to "the man" when I illegally download.

   No. Since a "copy" is being downloaded, this has no effect on a company's current profit. If they sold 10 copies of Game X and you illegally download one copy, they still have made the money from those 10 copies. All that has been accomplished is that you process a copy you did not buy.

   5. Games, music, etc. are too expensive.

   A company has the right to charge what they want just like the consumers have the right to not buy it at that price..simple as that. Want it at a cheaper price, develop patience and wait for the price to drop.

   6.COD was illegally downloaded 4.2 million times.

   I have no doubt that it was downloaded quite a bit, but was someone counting each one? Each side, pro and con, can and does skew the numbers to make their point. There are a lot of variables here such as were the majority of the downloads from countries where the product was not available? Would the numbers be lower if it had been available. These numbers come from all over the world. 4.2 million illegal downloads would be pretty small considering China has over 1 billion people its self.

   Reply
2. January 2, 2011 2:01 PM
   

   Benny26, TechSpot Paladin, said:

   It's hard to pay for things in life. All you can do is just bite your lip, and get on with it basicly. This bloody piracy argument could go on till the cows come home (literally).

   What i like about the whole thing is....If everybody thought piracy was right, piracy wouldn't exist.

   Reply
3. January 2, 2011 6:00 PM
   

   H3llion, TechSpot Paladin, said:

   Guest said:

   "it took my little brother 2 hours to beat the campaign."

   Either your brother is a secret war machine created by the goberment or needs to get out more.

   LOL! 2hrs isnt long play time..... Stop trollin please.........

   Reply
4. January 2, 2011 6:42 PM
   

   captaincranky, TechSpot Addict, said:

   1. Illegal downloading is theft.

   No. Its copyright infringement. To be theft, you would have to take the only copy of COD that Activision has and keep them from from their property. Also, copyright infringement cases are settled in civil court, not criminal court.

   Copyright infringement is theft, and is a descriptive term applied to it, outlining the mechanism by which that theft has occurred.

   Herewith some light reading from Cornell University Law School; [link]

   Please note that Title 18 USC, deals solely with the prosecution and penalty of criminal matters.

   In fairness to your point of view, the "DMCA" is titled under Title 17 USC, a civil statute. But, it is intended to add scope to the existing criminal statutes, which don't fully cover the emerging possibilities for digital copyright infringement. Plus, it is international in scope, and its existence as a criminal statute in this form, would evolve into issues regarding extradition.

   Oh heck, here's Title 17 USC in PDF; http://www.copyright.gov/title17/ In Appendix F, you can see how it connects to Title 18, as would be necessary, since the FBI is tasked with its enforcement.

   Always remember, if you are arrested and incarcerated, the involved jurisdiction is charged with the cost your care. If a criminal matter is approached from the civil axis, then they can take all your property, and put you out on the street, where you're responsible for your care.

   Oh, and here's another fun fact. "Miranda" doesn't attach itself to a civil case. In other words, "if you cannot afford a lawyer, one will NOT be provided for you".

   A quick question about the "Q & A" format of your original post. Was that used as a device to circumvent response, or rather more emblematic of a personality disorder? Definitely reminiscent of one talking to himself in public. In either case, it certainly failed to lend any credence to your opinion.

   Reply
5. January 2, 2011 11:02 PM
   Guest said:

   Let's all HUG!

   Reply
6. January 3, 2011 8:13 AM
   Guest said:

   In light of all the intellectual conversation everyone is having regarding piracy. I'd like to bring forth a really good subject.

   In one commercial which plays on DVD's now - a - days which specifies " YOU WOULDNT STEAL A CAR"

   i would like to specify that downloading movies, music, games. In no way represents the actualy work you have to put into stealing a car.

   BUT....BUT...BUT...

   If you could download a car, THEN HELL "F" YES I WILL.

   i'd be rolling around in a delorean.

   But just to be clear about the point i was making...Commercials like those, are what drive people into piracy in the first place. If you want to get your point across dont compare it to murder.

   You know what will catch peoples attention?

   "Lady gaga lost 1.5 Mill because of piracy" (Fully sarcastic)

   Reply
7. January 3, 2011 1:42 PM
   

   Darkshadoe said:

   1. "A quick question about the "Q & A" format of your original post. Was that used as a device to circumvent response,"

   Yes..people fear lists. Lists are evil. It was my full intention to make the ultimate posting where no one could respond by using a list. Somehow though, using Scooby Doo-like detective work, you managed to find a weak spot in my armor and responded. Kudos to you good sir or madam.

   2. "or rather more emblematic of a personality disorder? Definitely reminiscent of one talking to himself in public."

   Yes again. ..or maybe not. I'm not sure. The voices keep arguing. NO MOTHER I DONT WANT TO WEAR THE LEIDERHOSEN AGAIN!!

   3. "In either case, it certainly failed to lend any credence to your opinion"

   Which opinion are we talking about? Would it be my opinion 'that females should have breasts on their backs so they would be more fun to dance with' or " the Girl Scouts are responsible for global warming'?

   OH NOEZ..I just realized I made another list. You'll never break this one!

   Reply
8. January 4, 2011 10:38 AM
   grvalderrama said:

   Illegal downloading = theft = I can live with it... and sleep at nights like a baby

   I just wonder... what about the people that "crack" the games? Is not easier to catch those mighty people and stop with game piracy?

   Reply
9. January 5, 2011 8:29 AM
   Guest said:

   I'd like to agree with you in light of all the codes you just looked up, Thank you for wasting hours upon hours of your life just to prove a point. But here is one descriptive analysis on this whole copyright situation.

   A child in elementary school is taught, that sharing is caring. He goes home, copies his favorite Eminem CD, and gives it to his friend. His friend takes it home and his parents get pissed off, report him and now we have a child that cannot afford a lawyer, and whose parents now have to suffer the consequences.

   So...As flawed as the copyright system is.

   I can build a car in my garage, have it look exactly like a Cadillac CTS, have everything a cadillac CTS has, including nav, leather, power windows. THEN...You ready?!?! Game changer..

   I'm going to call it. "Fat *****"

   Is that copyright infringement? i mean..i just grabbed ones creation, and added my own liberties to it?

   I'm going to continue to download until...(Justin bieber, Lady gaga, Kesha, Facebook, Myspace) DIssapear.

   And, I will still sleep at night. Peacefully.

   If the RIAA wants to get serious, then they need to spend all their money on new jail cells, and send 4.5 Million people to jail. THEN, they can focus on the other 10 billion.

   As illegal as piracy is, Its like facebook. A bad form of communication and sharing, BUT IT WORKS

   Reply
10. January 5, 2011 10:01 AM
    

    captaincranky, TechSpot Addict, said:

    I'd like to agree with you in light of all the codes you just looked up, Thank you for wasting hours upon hours of your life just to prove a point. But here is one descriptive analysis on this whole copyright situation.

    A child in elementary school is taught, that sharing is caring. He goes home, copies his favorite Eminem CD, and gives it to his friend. His friend takes it home and his parents get pissed off, report him and now we have a child that cannot afford a lawyer, and whose parents now have to suffer the consequences.

    We hear nonsense like this on the nightly news. Some kid takes an empty bullet to school to show his friends, and bingo, he's suspended due to a "zero tolerance policy". Here comes the ACLU, and I think their lawyers are free. Their intervention is generally well meaning, but occasionally comes with unintentional consequence. Such as, the child molester can now live a block from the school, because the parents were violating his civil rights by harassing him.

    So...As flawed as the copyright system is.

    I can build a car in my garage, have it look exactly like a Cadillac CTS, have everything a cadillac CTS has, including nav, leather, power windows. THEN...You ready?!?! Game changer..

    I'm going to call it. "Fat *****"

    Is that copyright infringement? i mean..i just grabbed ones creation, and added my own liberties to it?

    Please don't attempt to support your point of view with absurdities such as this. You're not going to build a Caddy copy in your garage or any such nonsense. The startup costs of such a project would be insurmountable. That's the reason that the DMCA was enacted, because of the ease, (and very low investment) at which digital theft occurs.

    I'm going to continue to download until...(Justin bieber, Lady gaga, Kesha, Facebook, Myspace) DIssapear.

    Well, there's no accounting for taste, now is there?

    And, I will still sleep at night. Peacefully.

    "Nighty, night, and don't let the bedbugs bite. We'll be enjoying the peace and quiet right along witcha!

    If the RIAA wants to get serious, then they need to spend all their money on new jail cells, and send 4.5 Million people to jail. THEN, they can focus on the other 10 billion.

    Republicans are in power now. You stand a good chance of getting this through congress! As long as you don't consider the fact they'll be giving all the building contracts to their fat cat campaign contributers a problem. Oh, then there's the collateral increase in debt to go along with it, since copyyright infringement is indeed a federal offense.

    As illegal as piracy is, Its like facebook. A bad form of communication and sharing, BUT IT WORKS

    And once again, "off to bed with ya then"! Sing yourself to sleep with a Justin Beiber tune! A person could probably have sung himself to sleep in the middle of 911 with one of those.

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you have to steal those, since they're not worth buying.

    Reply
11. January 11, 2011 1:46 AM
    Guest said:

    it's not that hard to finish a game if you select the easiest difficulty

    Reply

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