Piracy. My Take.

I own lots of bootlegs. I buy them all the time. Once a year I head on down to the Chiller Show and pick up plenty of stuff that's clearly illegal. Crappy color copied artwork, discs inside with no printing. DVD dupes made from TV broadcasts, old out-of-print DVDs, sometimes even VHS. Bootlegs. Pirated material. No doubt about it.

And I have this little thing, this little mechanism... this little Jiminy Cricket in my head that tells me that what I'm doing is OK. Ethically, morally, I'm OK. Legally... no freaking way, but with those other two (which are more important to me anyway), I'm just fine.

Kind of.

So how do I do it? This rationalization? This self-delusion?

Well, here's how:

-I don't buy bootlegs of film available domestically
-I almost never buy bootlegs of films available internationally*
-If legit versions come out for films I own boots of, I usually buy them**
-I don't bootleg for profit

* I have a multi-region player, so I'm able to play PAL discs and DVD released in other regions. BUT, and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've done this, I have bought a DVD-R of a film that was legitimately available in another country. Case in Point: NIGHT WATCH, a Russian film available in legit releases... a pricey 3-disc set if memory serves, and I knowingly bought a dupe for $5 at the last Chiller. Now, bear in mind that this film has NOT been released domestically in any way, shape or form, and I will purchase the Region 1 DVD when it is released. (However, if the movie sucked, I wouldn't)

**See * above. If the movie sucks, I won't re-buy.

In addition:

-I've never downloaded a song(s) & burned a CD. However, I have downloaded illegal music on my computer and listened to it. This was in the Napster heyday. But I've since deleted all of it (honestly); and most of it was stuff I already owned and liked.

Anyway, my point here is that each and every time I've engaged in shady behavior regarding illegal copies of movies, I've thoughtfully considered what it is I'm doing.

Another case in point: at the last Chiller show I had wanted to pick up a copy of a movie called MURDER SET-PIECES. I had read quite a bit about it, and even went so far as to include it on my little list (kept in rear left pocket). It is a little independent film, self-financed that has received a respectable little distribution deal. Well, it was ALL over the show -- legit release: $35-$40; bootleg release: $5-$15. I didn't buy it. If the legit release was $15, I would have bought it in a second. If the legit release was $20, I probably would have bought ite. But $35 was a little pricey for me. So, I passed.

I know piracy is wrong. I know to actively engage in supporting a pirate is wrong.

And I know that what I do is wrong, no matter what excuses I come up with.

I just try to be honest with myself in what I'm doing.

I try not to hurt the little guy.

But I do sometimes convince myself that it's OK to infinitesimley hurt the big guys.

And I guess I can sleep soundly knowing that.