I feel similarly but one of those choices is guaranteed not to help the people you'd like to see helped

Nor are you likely to get what you paid for

On that note, the only relatively convenient exception I know of is Bandcamp Fridays. They're specific days where Bandcamp doesn't take any share of purchases.

I wish this were a more common practice, and I wish I could allocate my Netflix/HBO/prime/etc. subscription dollars to support specific titles. Instead, shows get cancelled because people didn't stream it enough on day 1. I want a s2 of Tales From the Loop, but it's still in limbo with no way for fans to show support.

But the original creation cost time and money, which you're not reimbursing the creator for. The moral thing to do is to pay your share of that if you make a copy, even if the copy itself doesn't cost anything.

It's like going to a concert without paying the entrance fee. Sure it's not a big deal if only one person does it, but the concert couldn't even happen if everyone acted like this, or the organizers would have to pay for it all by themselves.

If you want to morally justify piracy then start with the ridiculous earnings and monopolies of big media companies, or the fact that they will just remove your access to media you "bought". Piracy is like stealing, but sometimes stealing is the right thing to do.

How do you feel about jumping the turnstile at a train station?

This is just a casual reminder to read the article before replying in the comments.

This should anyway be a sticky to every post about third party content.

Get a physical copy that doesn’t require internet activation then, assholes.

I think the point was, it is increasingly hard to find such products.
And even once you think you've bought such product, DRM makes sure it's still not really yours.

Get a physical copy that doesn’t require internet activation then, assholes.

Just a little bit closer, you're almost getting the point!

Hi @satan@r.nf, please remember Beehaw's primary founding principal when commenting here: Be(e) Nice.

It is possible to disagree with someone without using abusive language. If you think they are wrong, attack their arguments (civilly), not the person.

Or I can pay nothing and get a plain video file that I can do anything I want with, and play on any device without needing a player. And as long as I keep that file backed up somewhere, I'll always have a copy of it.

The TV business is struggling to learn the lesson the music industry learned a long time ago.

Get a physical copy that doesn't require internet activation then

I cannot speak about movies. But physical games now are also just "usage licenses", they are encrypted and if the console is connected to the internet at any momento, your rights to play the game may be revoked (just like digital games or, in this case, digital TV series)