7 Responses to “John August on BitTorrent and Piracy”  

1. 1 Jason Scott Jan 30th, 2008 at 2:02 pm

   So you couldn’t even let one person say that bittorrent is probably not always a great thing, and you had to shove in a fully-pro-bittorrent link underneath it? Why don’t you shove anti-bittorrent links under every time you laud bittorrent? “For a slightly different point of view” indeed…

2. 2 Kendal Miller Jan 30th, 2008 at 2:11 pm

   Actually if you examine our approach here at FreshDV we often try to flush out both sides of a story, examine our WGA strike articles etc… The goal is to get both sides out in the open so readers can make their own decisions on topics. Matt isn’t forcing either side here just providing both sides.

3. 3 Jason Scott Jan 30th, 2008 at 2:20 pm

   No, see the problem is I HAVE been reading you for a very long time. Let’s see.

   http://www.freshdv.com/2007/09/the-pirate-bay-to-big-media-prepare-to-be-boarded.html
   No links to a “different point of view” by the studios.

   http://www.freshdv.com/2007/06/cinematechs-scott-kirsner-on-alternative-distribution.html
   No links to a “different point of view” by the distribution companies.

   http://www.freshdv.com/2006/05/soderbergh-to-release-next-film-via.html
   No dampening this possible release via bittorrent with discussions of Soderbergh’s work with “standard” studios.

   Admit the bias, move on, improve.

4. 4 Kendal Miller Jan 30th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

   Hmmmm…good points. Hey Matt care to weigh in on this one?

5. 5 Matthew Jeppsen Jan 30th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

   So you couldn’t even let one person say that bittorrent is probably not always a great thing, and you had to shove in a fully-pro-bittorrent link underneath it? Why don’t you shove anti-bittorrent links under every time you laud bittorrent? “For a slightly different point of view� indeed…

   I do laud BitTorrent. It’s an incredible transport technology that has democratized bandwidth and distribution. It’s true that along the way it has made film piracy much easier, and that’s certainly a big issue for content creators. I’ve always maintained that a certain amount of piracy is inevitable…but that users are willing to pony up the cash when you make your content easy to obtain, simple to use, and packed with value. For those reasons I generally oppose unnecessary DRM and formats that lock in users to specific platforms and devices. As someone that creates content, I certainly don’t condone piracy. But I do strongly disagree with the predatory tactics of the RIAA and MPAA; bending laws to their own purposes (i.e. DMCA) and bullying users is no way to treat consumers. I’ve always maintained that a more “open-source” approach is perhaps a more effective way to combat piracy. It’s interesting, I read a comment on your site about your BBS Documentary that supports this point of view. I hope you don’t mind me quoting that here:

   Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 19:29:46 -0400
   To: director@bbsdocumentary.com
   Subject: Okay, I admit it!

   Jason,

   I’d seen your BBS documentary mentioned on Slashdot in the past, and
   after a recent post about it, I decided to go to your site to see
   about purchasing it. After all, I spent about a decade of my life
   infatuated with the things!

   I’ll admit, I saw the $50 price and balked. I was fully ready to
   purchase it for $20-30, but it was just too much to justify spending
   on something of which the quality was suspect. In the Slashdot
   comments, I found a link to the 8 parts as individual torrents, and I
   sucked them down overnight.

   Throughout the week, I watched every single part. Let me tell you,
   that before I’d even reached the end, I knew I was going to be sending
   you the $50. Thank you so much for creating this. Not only was it a
   fantastic piece of nostalgia, but it was an informative, and at times
   emotionally poignant piece of work.

   (Normally I wouldn’t send an admission of piracy to the creator of a
   piece of work, but I’m sure you’ll understand.)

   I’ve just sent in my order, and I eagerly await the 80 minutes of
   bonus footage that I missed!

   That comment basically sums up what I’ve always maintained…users that really care about content are willing to pay for it when they see added value in the legal options. As to the links and suggesting an alleged bias, I’ll address each in turn below.

   http://www.freshdv.com/2007/09/the-pirate-bay-to-big-media-prepare-to-be-boarded.html
   No links to a “different point of view� by the studios.
   At the time that post was published, none of the studios had addressed the issue of MediaDefender’s alleged illegal activity. I’m unsure exactly what different pov we could have offered there. And frankly, it was a rather amusing story in and of itself.

   http://www.freshdv.com/2007/06/cinematechs-scott-kirsner-on-alternative-distribution.html
   No links to a “different point of view� by the distribution companies.
   You might want to go back and re-listen to that podcast…the entire show was devoted to noted entertainment news writer Scott Kirsner and his research and tips on how independent producers of content could self-distribute. That was the point of the podcast. No different point of view necessary.

   http://www.freshdv.com/2006/05/soderbergh-to-release-next-film-via.html
   No dampening this possible release via bittorrent with discussions of Soderbergh’s work with “standard� studios.
   I think our audience is pretty much aware of Soderbergh’s films released by the majors for many years. The post points to a development that felt significant to me because an industry insider is talking about tech that you and I can use any day. That’s cool. I fail to see how that post requires an alternative viewpoint.

   Admit the bias, move on, improve.
   I admit it. FreshDV is 100% biased toward tools and technology that empower filmmakers and indies. BitTorrent is one such tool when used legally.

   Thanks for the discussion,

   -Matt Jeppsen

6. 6 Andy Baio Jan 30th, 2008 at 3:01 pm

   “I admit it. FreshDV is 100% biased toward tools and technology that empower filmmakers and indies. BitTorrent is one such tool when used legally.”

   This is refreshing. I like when a publication is able to admit their biases.

7. 7 obmaz Jan 30th, 2008 at 8:08 pm

   An nice example of successful legal use of the technology:

   http://nrkbeta.no/norwegian-broadcasting-nrk-makes-popular-series-available-drm-free-via-bittorrent/