AfterDawn: News

Actor blames entertainment industry for piracy

Actor Will Wheaton (of 'Stand By Me' and a ton of TV shows) has blamed the entertainment industry for video piracy, noting that honest consumers are getting frustrated with the lack of ease for legal alternatives compared to piracy.

The video comes via an interview with ScreenRant, and includes a guest appearance with Colin Ferguson of SyFy show 'Eureka.'



A couple of quotes from the interview:

As soon as the entertainment industry provides an alternative to bit-torrent -- or an alternative to piracy -- that makes it easy for honest people to get access to the program, then the piracy dries up.

Gabe Newell [CEO of Valve] says that pirates provide better customer service. How many times have you paid for a DRM license for something and the server goes down, or you travel across the border? I rented some episodes on Amazon of Doctor Who: when I went to Canada -- I paid for them in America; I live in America -- they say “you can’t watch it anymore because you’re not in America anymore.” That made me angry because I was being honest; I was an honest person. If I had stolen it, I would be watching it.

There are two classes of people in the world: there are people who will never pay for anything, no matter what -- you’re never going to get them. Then there’s people that will pay for something -- and want to. You just have to make it easy for them -- and reasonable.

Good interview, with valid points:



Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Jul 2011 22:20

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• 18 comments

• Mysttic

  Nice article, and well said; but unfortunately its the industries that determine their best way to make $ and for some reason most can't fathom how fighting piracy is not the way to go to earn extra $.

  27.7.2011 22:48 #1

• solamf30

  Wil Wheaton is still evil.

  28.7.2011 01:03 #2

• KillerBug

  Originally posted by Mysttic: Nice article, and well said; but unfortunately its the industries that determine their best way to make $ and for some reason most can't fathom how fighting piracy is not the way to go to earn extra $. Actually, it is the industry that determines the best way to increase piracy. By doing so, they can say, "It isn't our fault that the terrible movie did poorly...just look, a million people downloaded it; if they had all purchased it then we would have broken even."...Nevermind that no one would have downloaded it if they had to pay.
  
  Everyone knows that DRM only serves to cause problems to legitimate users...pirated material always has the DRM stripped out. Knowing this, why would they keep using DRM (DRM that has been broken for years) if not to inspire piracy?
  

  
  

  28.7.2011 01:10 #3

• nonoitall

  Thank you for sharing your 24th Century knowledge, Mr. Crusher! :-P
  

  me on the Dragon Ball Encyclopedia
  me on YouTube

  28.7.2011 01:20 #4

• elbald90

  Quote:There are two classes of people in the world: there are people who will never pay for anything, no matter what im one of them :)
  

  28.7.2011 02:02 #5

• xtago

  Pretty much it in a nutshell.
  
  A lot of it rides on how much money a person has, if they are living week to week, they generally will only buy a DVD if they really really want it and only want and if it have any sort of spare cash.
  
  Those are generally the people who will pirate the most because they can't really afford the stuff 9 times out of 10, so they will look around to see if there's a way of getting it without paying, or will wait a long time till they can afford it.
  
  The people who have heaps of spare cash will buy something if they want it not because you can buy it.
  
  Digital distro won't really make people who can't afford something to buy something via a digital format because you still need money, and it won't force those with money to buy something.
  
  There will be heaps of people on steam who have never bought anything off steam, it'll just be a core bunch of people who buy stuff digitally off steam.
  
  I don't and generally won't buy full price games off steam as I don't see the benefit in doing that.

  28.7.2011 04:08 #6

• Interestx

  I'm firmly in the 'try before buy' camp.....and I still buy a s**tload of CDs, DVD, SACD, DVD-Audio, HD DVD and Blu-ray.
  
  I also pay for the 'everything' package on satellite TV, which has a hard drive for recording (and a copy out function) and I pay the British TV licence.
  I've paid.
  Loads.
  
  This is just the 'entertainment industry' desperately trying to roll back our freedom since the days of VHS and cassette recording (and nobody felt entitled to fine you to penury & life-long ruin for recording TV shows or films or music back then).
  
  Downloading gives me nothing I would not already get - except the flexibility to watch what I want on what I want, the convenience to watch when I want and the ability to record without infesting my PC with the 'offical' catch-up websites DRM.
  
  But if they want to keep on with this delusionary stupidity that every download is a lost sale then fine, they can get all the court injunctions they like.
  And I'll stop buying.
  

  28.7.2011 07:00 #7

• oappi

  @xtago
  Well obviously people who cant afford to buy anything will get illegal copies if they simply can't afford to buy them. What you don't see that people who live outside US don't really have any legal alternative. Only way you can get them legally is by waiting until they run them in television or buy dvd from amazon (etc). At least where i live shows are aired like 2 years later (compared to us) some air like 4 years later (i think stargate was roughly that) and some are obviously never shown (firefly). You can imagine how frustrating it is to watch shows like southpark that have jokes about current events...
  
  So what Gabe Newell says is absolutely true. It is like they were saying f*ck you! We are not selling you anything and if you dare to pirate our work we will sue your sorry ass and even if we sell we sell some crippled crap. While illegal copy is just few clicks away. Also if you are the only one that refuses to download shows it is really annoying when your friends are ~2 years ahead in a show that you are trying to watch. It is so easy to over hear something that is going to happen in the show and that totally ruins it. Think it as if you recorded some sport event and someone told you scores in advance.
  
  I can't believe how they have been able to overlook this problem so long. They rather cancel shows (like stargate universe) than try something new and if you ask me scifi audience would be perfect to try world wide internet distribution. At least it would be preferable alternative for canceling them. With price amazon is giving episodes i would be happy to support my favorite shows. Too bad they are us only.
  
  I am not saying piracy would die out, because like Gabe said there are obviously a lot of people who won't pay anything if they don't have to, but they should at least give fans of the show a change.

  28.7.2011 07:17 #8

• buxtahuda

  I'm the same as plenty others, I don't mind paying for things I like and want to support, but they want you to pay for everything just to have a look! I mean really, you pay to see it in a theatre, pay to see it on cable/satellite, pay to see it at "official" online sites, pay to rent/stream it, and pay to own a copy of your own. Say you only did two of these things, one to see if you like it, one to actually own it; you're suddenly $30+ invested in this thing, most of it doesn't go to who you want to support, and you may or may not be able to continue using the product for the rest of your and its life since so many of these things are location-related (like he was saying about his US-rented film in Canada).
  
  At what point can we call salaries paid? I'm still waiting for the RIAA and them to somehow get tax-relief, or even push themselves as a necessary part of American culture and just start getting tax dollars out of our checks.
  
  Medicare, Social Security, State... Entertainment Tax Plan of 2012!
  

  ~*Livin' Electronicallly*~

  28.7.2011 10:00 #9

• LordRuss

  If anyone thinks for a second that Hollywood doesn't make money on a crap film you're belligerently, sorely and soullessly naive.
  
  One look at the history & industry of "B" films made in the Roger Coreman film factory should speak volumes. Although I can't in a short amount of time quote him properly, even he says that he's made a thousand films and never lost a dime. Even his autobiography is named as such.
  
  Hollywood is the ultimate illusion. People are blinded & hypnotized by the lights, yet their their still drawn toward the beast who's breath is baited by both popcorn & the scent of money.
  
  To put it in a bit more perspective: As an extra on a movie I was working on, we get paid modestly. About $150 for 12 hours (1996), but we're fed & partial transportation is provided. Despite the conditions of the set & the pay rate everyone there was just in hardon heaven about a rumor regarding the current budget expenditure of the film. The higher it supposedly went up, the bigger the hardon. Why? We were plebes & wouldn't see anything other than the paycheck we got at the end of the day (I knew this, most of them didn't).
  
  My point is, this rumor makes it out into 'civilian' circulation. Who's the moguls to stop them from saying otherwise? Then we can make assumptions from there as to how they want to use the rumor mill to their advantage.
  
  So what does that have to do with piracy? I had to record the damn thing off-air TV because it can't be found anywhere else, that's why. Matter of fact, the bulk of what I worked on is hard to find & it's possible that piracy is the "only" means of which to get a copy in order to show my name in the credits.
  
  I'm not saying I'm special by any means... but the technology exists today for folks to do all this & there are still stone-age thinkers keeping us from advancing because their bloated wallets need a new seem split.
  

  http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

  28.7.2011 11:55 #10

• statomike

  I don't think we should forget Wheaton in Star Trek.

  28.7.2011 18:41 #11

• VENOM79

  the industry did it to them selves. with outrageous salaries and crapy content. look at what they do its not talent its luck.and just cause they are big buisness they have a voice in the government. they are a bunch of greedy F%#kS who make two or three good movies a year and want the world in return. they are way over paid the whole world kisses there ass where ever they go. i dont care how easy it is to buy there crap im a pirate. F$#k hollywood
  

  28.7.2011 20:16 #12

• carter24

  I think they will show actions on this.

  29.7.2011 01:36 #13

• xboxdvl2

  Quote:Gabe Newell [CEO of Valve] says that pirates provide better customer service i have to agree with that.look on a torrent site and most the time if someone has a problem with a file the uploader will post a comment saying how to get it to work,even other people who have had the same problem will explain how to fix it.have a problem with a legally downloaded file and you dont get help (just a dodgy faq section which covers the first steps that you have probably already done). or have to run to tech forums (such as afterdawn) for answers.
  
  as for the people that work in the movie industry they make that much money they couldnt spend it in a lifetime.
  

  R.I.P. mr 1990 ford falcon.got myself a 1993 toyota corolla seems to run good.computers still going good.

  30.7.2011 01:56 #14

• jpainer

  Millions of people supported the entertainment industry by buying thousands of VHS tapes in the 1980-1990s. Now that the VHS tapes are deteriorating and sit on shelves in flea markets and second hand stores, people want a digital copy of the movie THEY paid for! There should be FREE copies available for download over peer to peer networks! Also, I have paid good money for DVD sets and the quality is very grainy when looked at from 3 feet from the screen. Another ripoff by the entertainment industry selling DVDs.

  1.8.2011 11:45 #15

• FredBun

  Originally posted by jpainer: Millions of people supported the entertainment industry by buying thousands of VHS tapes in the 1980-1990s. Now that the VHS tapes are deteriorating and sit on shelves in flea markets and second hand stores, people want a digital copy of the movie THEY paid for! There should be FREE copies available for download over peer to peer networks! Also, I have paid good money for DVD sets and the quality is very grainy when looked at from 3 feet from the screen. Another ripoff by the entertainment industry selling DVDs. DITTO!!!!!
  

  5.8.2011 23:15 #16

• WHDACV

  I am just curious.
  If most of the people that pirate are too poor to pay for the 20 to 40 dollar movie or 60 dollar game how can they play/watch it?
  
  I mean they are so poor they cant afford 60 dollars but they have the equiptment (tv,blueray player,console/pc) to play them on?
  
  But seriously maybe charging less would help

  6.8.2011 20:35 #17

• xboxdvl2

  Originally posted by WHDACV: I am just curious.
  If most of the people that pirate are too poor to pay for the 20 to 40 dollar movie or 60 dollar game how can they play/watch it?
  
  I mean they are so poor they cant afford 60 dollars but they have the equiptment (tv,blueray player,console/pc) to play them on?
  
  But seriously maybe charging less would help im using a 68cm crt tv that was given to me.my dvd player was given to me for my brithday in 2009.i paid $1300 last year for my pc.havnt upgraded it,dont have a blu ray drive in it.I spent a few months saving on an $1800 car.had i spent $1300 on dvds/cds and going to the movies i wouldnt own a computer.i dont even own a smartphone.Alot of the people on here do seem rich they own the latest tvs,5smart phones and upgrade there computers like every week,not to mention they have nintendo 3ds,xbox360 and ps3.
  

  R.I.P. mr 1990 ford falcon.got myself a 1993 toyota corolla seems to run good.computers still going good.

  7.8.2011 02:10 #18