[p2p-research] Where is P2P in the Pirate Bay, was: Pirate Bay Conviction Analysis from NETTIME list...

[M. Fioretti]

On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 11:39:40 AM +0700, Michel Bauwens wrote:
> In countries in the South, including Thailand,
>
> if music, movies, educational textbooks, software, etc.. where not
> available through filesharing or through commercial piracy for that
> matter, that would mean that the majority of the population here,
> say 70% would not have any access to it

I have already mentioned in my answer to Andy that necessary/
inevitable piracy (textbooks) and the general attitude in Asia is a
different thing in principle, and is not the bulk of what happens on
Pirate Bay anyway. Incidentally, by definition the bulk of those
downloads is from (relatively) rich people, that is those who can
afford broadband. You don't participate in any meaningful way to p2p
torrents with a 56K dial-up connection.

> Defending the Pirate Bay, and the sharing practices of youth
> worldwide, and attacking and critiquing the rent-monopolists, seem
> more sensible to me , than attacking the filesharing youth, because
> they're motives, i.e using and sharing culture without pay-back, are
> not 'pure'.

I have different opinions on this, but I won't answer (not here and
now, at least, maybe in a different thread) because I would really
like to keep this thread focused on my original observation: this is
not about judging or attacking at all, is only about calling things
with their actual name.

What I am saying right now is that I find (at least) pretty misleading
to dump together in one pot what you/we preach as P2P with "taking
stuff because we finally can do it for free", even if the latter is
good, harmless, innovative and what not.

Besides being intrinsically misleading, it's also uneffective/
counterproductive as a communication strategy, at least outside
academia and circles of people who alrady are activists. If you go to
a generic parent's association meeting and send the message that
what's happening at Pirate Bay is innovative philosophy... to parents
who know VERY well that their OWN kids have no interest in anything
but watching O.C and downloading music to their iPods, you'll probably
fail to reach them.

Marco

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