# Thread about pirating media **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 5, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715 "2022-06-05T21:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/1 "2022-06-05T21:13:52Z")
Not sure if this will be allowed, so rather than starting a new topic I’m posting this to find out if it’s ok. Suppose one were annoyed with the current state of streaming services. For example, if you’re a baseball fan you might need to subscribe to more than one service to see all the games from your local team. Then there’s the whole idea that we now don’t generally “own” the media that we consume. We get to watch it through a subscription service only as long as it’s made available. Further suppose a person chose to solve those issues by downloading / viewing the content illegally. Could one post in favor of such a practice, of course without linking to the relevant sites? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/2 "2022-06-05T21:23:21Z")
You mean those web sites that re-broadcast games from geographical areas and try to cash in by putting loads of ads on the screen? I am sure they are legally in a grey area at best if not pirates with their unauthorized ripping off of someone else’s stream, but what really crosses the line is trying to profit from it—that is not sharing or some Robin Hood thing going on—it’s clearly shady. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/3 "2022-06-05T21:25:08Z")
I think I’d dodge all of it by doing a thread about the excessive market segmentation and brainstorm for options to resolve it. Piracy is flat out illegal, and even some things that are legal (in most areas) such a ripping your own private CDs start going off-track fast into dark waters. If you want to talk about the ethics of modern ‘information/content should be free’ you could start a slightly different thraed. That can still get you some interesting POV on the hows and whys of piracy without endorsing it. But looking for affirmation from other posters that piracy (yours or others) is okay, seems a bit much. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/4 "2022-06-05T21:29:12Z")
[Moderation] Advocating doing something illegal is against the rules of this board, and being owned by a media company, we take copyright law especially seriously. You can open a thread arguing that piracy should be legal, but you can’t suggest piracy, or ask for suggestions concerning piracy. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/5 "2022-06-05T21:42:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Advocating doing something illegal is against the rules of this board, and being owned by a media company, we take copyright law especially seriously. You can open a thread arguing that piracy should be legal, but you can’t suggest piracy, or ask for suggestions concerning piracy. I’m thinking of couching it not as advocacy, but rather sympathy for people who might resort to piracy based on the limitations and annoyances of current media practices. Because many folks seem to feel they are a bit onerous. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/6 "2022-06-05T21:46:13Z")
can we note that 90 percent of what the industry promised us if we quit using Napster etc were lies? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/7 "2022-06-06T05:44:49Z")
Noting that is certainly not advocating criminal activity; that’s just a gripe. 🫤 I wouldn’t think that needs ATMB clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/8 "2022-06-06T12:49:14Z")
That’s what I think too, but I’d like to have an OK from the mods before proceeding. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/9 "2022-06-06T13:55:50Z")
That was a reply to @nightshadea though Discourse hides that fact. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-about-pirating-media/965715/10 "2022-06-06T14:17:27Z")
Complaining about streaming service policies is certainly allowed. Listing of various legal streaming services that have better or worse policies, so that a user could choose and help exert market pressure to improve streaming services, would also be allowed. Advocating piracy in response to bad policies is not allowed. Expressing sympathy for piracy in response to bad policies is a slippery area, as it can very easily turn into advocacy for piracy.