Michael Corvin

Is this a place where you want to climb the corporate ladder? Or just a job? Unless you are in charge(or buying from him), who cares? Especially if it is just a job to pay the bills.

Does the movie industry reimburse you when someone talks on a cell through a $10 movie you paid to see? Not quite the same, but you get the idea.

natevines

I might be inclined to do it, if someone is selling.
My dad, for example, likes to borrow DVDs from the library and copy them for himself. I don't see much wrong with this. He does, however, occassionally give one to a family member/friend. This isn't as bad as selling them, but I'm not sure if it's entirely legal. Regardless, there's still a familial responsibility to turn the other cheek

Brian Shannon

As a software developer I would report anyone stealing intellectual property in this manner.

Clearly this person has no qualms about stealing someone elses work, I wonder how they would feel if someone stole theirs?

teddydogg

Also your company could get in trouble if he does get caught (probably unlikely, but could happen) because he was using their equipment to make illegal copies which they could get fined for. Just saying that it could happen.

Qui Gon Jim

WRONG! This is one problem in this country. "It's not affecting me" but it is
If everyone steals movies:
1. Studios see that a certain film is not doing well and cancels sequels and or subsequent seasons
2. We ALL pay for theft in the retail price of items we are buying

I am not saying I'd turn him in, but this isn't noble piracy where you are trading something that is unavailable to own, this guy is directly copying DVDs and selling them.

darkhawk

It's not my company and he doesn't work under me. If everyone said the same thing, "you shouldn't worry about it or say anything," look at how many people are already doing it. Even if he is only one person making about $100.00 a day, let's say there's 5,000 people out there doing it, look how much is being lost. And everyone complains why some DVD prices are going up and why the studios don't make as many special editions.

bender001001

I agree with you. If we don't start turning people in, it will one day hurt the movie industry

ScottsDvds

He should sell on Ebay.

JDF5244

Don't be a kook. Let it slide.

nycbrent

There's a guy in the mailroom at my work that delivers mail to different departments with a knapsack over his shoulder full of first-run bootleg DVDs that he's selling for $10 each. It's always the same people he's selling to; he uses slim-pack cases...haha.

Anyway, I've seriously considered turning him in NOT because I necessarily feel a need to protect the big studios (it's always the HOT, NEW releases he's selling), but because I'm more concerned about my place of employment coming under scrutiny for not acting on this illegal activity. It's similar to the afore-mentioned security guard that was selling bootleg tapes at work.

RDCLARK - was there any repercussion to your company when the security guard was caught, other than for the security department and the offending individual?

MovieExchange

Yes, I would. But then again, I own a business where I sell previously viewed DVD's, so someone like that severely hurts my business.

Sanitarium

It wouldn't report him. It's nobody else's business what he does. If he were killing people then I could see it, but making a few bucks selling movies isn't a big deal IMO.

Kris81

I live in the mind now that i don't involve myself with other's business.. it'll only cause me trouble (unless of course it's something hurting like a raping, murder, etc)...


Chances are this guy will be caught some time sooner than later anyways by his own lack of security...


As well by reporting him you won't be making any new friend's with his former customers...


But if you decide to do it, at least be man enough to not do it anonymously.. If you want to be a rat, be a proud one at least

David Lambert

I would drop dime on him in a heartbeat. The fact that you're asking here in this forum is because you want us to talk you into it; you know it's the right thing to do.

tsohg

I'de muscle in on him and sell mine for $3.57 till he goes out of business cause the Walmart way is they American way.

kbjorn

umm...yeah right..the studios are raising prices because of pirates, they would never raise prices to add to their bottom line....

someone's in dire need of an ass kicking. and it isn't the pirater....just mind your own buisness hall monitor, err..I mean Bobby Brady. worry about your bills, your student loans, you dinner, your girlfriend...let this guy go about his own..if he gets caught- he gets caught.


pretentiousness, what a horrible sin...

bboisvert

I don't know. I don't usually raise issues over 'casual piracy' -- that is someone's parents who duplicate a single Netflix rental rather than schlep out to Wal-Mart to buy the disc. Or people who trade 'gray market' films at Comic conventions -- things that are otherwise unavailable on video. In those cases, I figure no one is really getting hurt.

But some prick out there copying commercially available films and then selling them at a profit? In the workplace, no less? Yes, I'd turn the guy in. Both because this is completely inappropriate at work... and also because I have little tolerance for scum who sell counterfeit versions of stuff you can buy in stores. If people want to buy Spider-Man 2, they should go to Best Buy and pay $15 like everyone else...

DVDs are incredibly affordable, especially when you consider the quality -- both picture/sound and all the value-added extras. People who bootleg this stuff and try to make a profit (at the expense of those who, you know, actually made the film) are really pond scum.

Kris81

It's not so much the arguement that corporations deserve this, or what not, the fact of the matter is - Someone out there is making blank dvdr's affordable... someone is making affordable dvd burners, affordable dvd cases, amazing software that'll let you copy the movie quicklky & flawlessly....


All of these movie company's look for the easiest answer in complaining about piracy...


For those of you that say it's wrong because you're stealing, how many of you have said before you buy the R2 release because it's cheaper & it packs more specials? Isn't that hurting our R1 releases, and discouraging company's to release more specials?


There's arguements from every side you look at it. In my opinion the guy who originally made this post doesn't agree that the guy is selling dvds - ONLY because he spends his hard earned money on them (because he likes the casing, and inserts, etc) where other people don't give a flying crap about all that stuff, and are getting the movie at dirt cheap prices...

natevines

Give me one good reason how they 'steal' from the public. Last time I checked, I consented to paying the price on all the DVDs that I've purchased.

Cameron

turn him in....batman would

visitor Q

[QUOTE=Qui Gon Jim]WRONG! This is one problem in this country. "It's not affecting me" but it is
If everyone steals movies:
1. Studios see that a certain film is not doing well and cancels sequels and or subsequent seasons
QUOTE]

... or better yet, we never see the duplicate, triplicate or quadruple dip that that the studios inevitably have set to be released and rereleased and rerereleased. ... then again, ethics does have it's play. Alright, I'm on the fence, but leaning towards .. screw 'em. Turn 'em in. Just don't compromise your own agenda at work!!!


.. then again, the last time I looked at CD prices .. Qui Gon may have a point

skipnet

I have turned people in for piracy in the past and if I come upon it in the future I will absolutely do so again, and they have been prosecuted one man served a full 5 years.

Skip

BizRodian

I'd tell the people about BitTorrent and eMule.

jaeufraser

Save for your second point, which is more along the lines of fradulent packaging, not theft, the rest of your examples are not in any way "stealing" from the public. Perhaps if any of the things you mentioned were owned by the public, you'd have a point, but pretty much every film or media program is owned by some company that has every right to do whatever they want. And we have every right to bitch about it and not support them with our purchase, but claiming it's stealing is just wrong.

And region coding exists for a reason, largely because of delayed releases of theatrical presentation and different ownership rights around the world.

Claiming like we the public have some god given right to the arts someone else owns is just, well, silly. We don't have to like what these companies do, and we can call them out on it all we want, but calling it stealing is just a complete mislabeling of these issues. We live in a capitalistic society, not one where the govt. or we the "society" own everything, and they have a duty to give it to us how we want it. If Disney wants to stick their movies in a vault and not sell, they have every right in the world. You don't have to like it, but to call it stealing is wrong in every sense of the word.

Randy810

It is illegal now in our country to do this. We have threads about bootlegs and not buying them. Aren't his dvd-r's bootlegs?
I would let him know his copying the movies is known and will be reported by someone that feels the price is too high or got a bad copy or is jealous of the money he is collecting or is just a tattletale.