[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by Heyitsrick

Just curious - why can't you just pay the few bucks to watch a movie online vs. "pirating" (accessing premium content without paying) copyrighted content?

I've heard all of the excuses/rationalizations for why people stream premium content without paying. They range from "it's digital - it's not really stealing!", to "they charge too much for movies!", to "these companies rip us off all the time!", to "I can't afford to pay!", to "I'm sticking it to the man!" (whoever that is), etc. None of these types of excuses are valid reasons to avoid paying for premium content. People do it because they can.

And by the way, if someone really can't afford $5 to watch a movie online, they absolutely need to redirect their efforts away from pursuing online video entertainment. They have more pressing issues. Plus, there are many, many popular free movies available online now that are supported by added commercials.

Streaming pirated content is taking income from the copyright holders and/or license holders - the ones who actually took the $$$ risks in creating and legally distributing the content. And the thing is, I really don't have to explain this. Everyone knows it, regardless of the excuses they give to try and justify the behavior.

Well said.