Armin Medosch argues that “piracy, despite being an entirely commercially motivated activity carried out in black or grey markets, fulfils culturally important functions” (Medosch, 81). This blog will aim to support his claims with the use of various examples. Firstly, an example of piracy in Brazilian Favelas will be used, followed by a brief discussion of peer-to-peer websites such as limewire, which is now no longer in existence.
Firstly, this following example will argue how piracy is able to empower people and encourage greater equality between income groups. A reasearch study conducted in Brazil have resulted in great insight as to how piracy, although illegal, can be a tool for entertainment and education. The researchers found that, in the Brazilian slums, also known as “favelas”, there is a great prevalence of “a small thriving industry called LAN houses” (Medosch, 81). LAN houses act not only as internet cafes and gaming centres; they are also places where pirated computer hardware, as well as software, are sold. These LAN houses are the epitome of “piracy”, everything from the water, to the electricity is pirated. At first glance, one would think that these operations are highly illegal, and dangerous, and thus should be shut down. However, upon closer inspection, this industry is indeed fulfilling culturally important functions. A brief discussion of Brazil’s income distribution will aid in the understanding of this perspective. A study in 2002 showed that Brazil is the country with the fourth most unequal distribution of income in the world. In this country, the top 20% of earners have incomes which are 30 times greater than the poorest 20% (The World Bank, 2005). The reason why that point was brought up was to illustrate the gap between the rich and the poor in this country. These LAN houses are allowing the poorer socioeconomic groups of this country to have basically the same resources as the richer groups. They are able to use similar technology, play the same games, and use the same software as everyone else, which would otherwise be unobtainable by these people. The way this industry encourages equality between income group is that it allows for the education of poorer members of the society in computer software. This then, would allow them to become more employable in higher paying jobs, which could take them out of poverty. Of course this is an idealised view of this industry, however, this does not mean that these things can’t and won’t happen.
Online piracy through Peer-To-Peer websites is one of the most popular forms of piracy. One such example is isohunt.com. According to the site’s founder, Gary Fung, “Remixing and sharing is good for culture” (Moya, 2008). His argument is that, in the internet age, sharing information between individuals should be promoted, as it is our cultural perspective that sharing is a favourable activity which should not be vilified. Be it sharing photos on Facebook, or sharing music through Peer-To-Peer sites, Fung believe that in today’s society, people want to share, and that the law should not prohibit an action which the majority of us find no fault in.
This blog has aimed to argue that piracy is not only an action with negative consequences. Rather, it can play a positive role in how society’s culture is formed.
References:
Armin Medosch, ‘Paid in Full: Copyright, Piracy and the Real Currency of Cultural Production’, in Deptforth. TV Diaries II: Pirate Strategies. London: Deptforth TV, 2008, pp. 73-97.
Gap Between Rich and Poor: World Income Inequality in 2002, The World Bank, Date Published: 2005, Date Accessed: 21 May 2011 <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0908770.html>
Jared Moya, isoHunt: ‘Copyright Infringers Aren’t Wrong, the Law Is’, Zeropaid.com, Date Published: 11 November 2008, Date Accessed: 21 May 2011 <http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9840/isohunt_copyright_infringers_arent_wrong_the_law_is/>
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