‘Hurt Locker’ studio to file lawsuits against record-breaking 24,583 BitTorrent users

Home Archive Serious Business ‘Hurt Locker’ studio to file lawsuits against record-breaking 24,583 BitTorrent users
K

kayo

Senior Member

126 posts
May 26, 2011 12:24 AM
I Wear Pants;781255 wrote:1: It does not drive up the cost for you. This isn't a cookie or a case of beer someone stole where the company has forever lost those materials and the ability to sell them. They have no lost cost because of this and as such if they use it as a reason to raise prices they are lying to you.

OK, assume it costs me $1,000 to make a movie and I want to make $1,000 in total profit. I decide to price my DVD's at $10/each and thus must sell 200 of them to achieve my goal. However, some people would rather enjoy my movie for free by downloading it without paying, and at least some of those people are the ones I counted in being in that group of 200. Thus, I revise my projections and decide that because only 100 people will now legally buy my movie, I'm going to have to charge $20 per DVD.

Whether you call it 'lost cost' or 'lost profit', it's the same thing, and it clearly drives up the cost for the people that buy the DVD legally.
May 26, 2011 12:24am
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
May 26, 2011 12:32 AM
kayo;781312 wrote:OK, assume it costs me $1,000 to make a movie and I want to make $1,000 in total profit. I decide to price my DVD's at $10/each and thus must sell 200 of them to achieve my goal. However, some people would rather enjoy my movie for free by downloading it without paying, and at least some of those people are the ones I counted in being in that group of 200. Thus, I revise my projections and decide that because only 100 people will now legally buy my movie, I'm going to have to charge $20 per DVD.

Whether you call it 'lost cost' or 'lost profit', it's the same thing, and it clearly drives up the cost for the people that buy the DVD legally.
Then make your film a digital download. Who said DVDs are the only way to go? It's a mistake to assume that pirates would otherwise have purchased your item. The problem is the studios all stumble greatly when trying to transition to new business models because they do everything wrong. If it's loaded up with tons of DRM and costs a ton of money it will not do well.

If you want to see a company that handles this well look at Stardock, especially with their Sins of a Solar Empire franchise. And *gasp* they made tons of money off of that.
May 26, 2011 12:32am
K

kayo

Senior Member

126 posts
May 26, 2011 12:42 AM
Let me get this straight... You don't debate my math or my premise, but instead you chastise me for my delivery model, which, by the way, would work fine if people weren't illegally downloading my movie?

You are rationalizing, sir.
May 26, 2011 12:42am
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
May 26, 2011 12:44 AM
I do debate those as well (not the math but the method behind it) but there isn't much either one of us can do to definitively prove we are right.

You are thinking with your morals instead of your brain, sir. Same problem people have with many other things. If the goal is to lessen piracy then you will need to change the tactics as clearly suing people isn't working and there can be no disputing that. It is a fact.
May 26, 2011 12:44am
K

kayo

Senior Member

126 posts
May 26, 2011 12:55 AM
I Wear Pants;781370 wrote:I do debate those as well (not the math but the method behind it) but there isn't much either one of us can do to definitively prove we are right.

You are thinking with your morals instead of your brain, sir. Same problem people have with many other things. If the goal is to lessen piracy then you will need to change the tactics as clearly suing people isn't working and there can be no disputing that. It is a fact.

If I'm making movies then my goal is to make money. If I can do that by suing people who illegally download my movies, I guess that'll work, but I'd rather sell cheaper movies to more people.

I guess I don't understand why people are getting all up in arms about this lawsuit. The people who illegally downloaded the movie are being asked to pay the production company for their wrongful acts. Whether they actually committed the acts is up to a court to decide, as is their penalty if the court finds in the plaintiffs' favor.
May 26, 2011 12:55am
krambman's avatar

krambman

Senior Member

3,606 posts
May 26, 2011 12:56 AM
Studios aren't losing any money off of any movies that I download because I only download movies I would never rent or buy anyway. I watch it and then I delete it. If it was good enough to watch more than once, I go out and buy the DVD. So they actually make more money off of me downloading films, because I end up buying movies I never would have seen otherwise. Besides, how is this any different than people who used to record movies off of their TV to VHS, or who now DVR them and then burn them to DVD?
May 26, 2011 12:56am
M

Manhattan Buckeye

Senior Member

7,566 posts
May 26, 2011 1:14 AM
Colonel Reed: You the guy illegally downloading movies, Sergeant James?
Staff Sergeant William James: Afternoon, sir. Uh, yes, sir.
Colonel Reed: Well, that's just hot shit. You're a wild man, you know that?
Staff Sergeant William James: Uh, yes, sir.
Colonel Reed: He's a wild man. You know that? I want to shake your hand.
Staff Sergeant William James: Thank you, sir.
Colonel Reed: Yeah. How many times did you illegallly download?
Staff Sergeant William James: Uh, I'm not quite sure.
Colonel Reed: Sergeant?
Staff Sergeant William James: Yes, sir.
Colonel Reed: I asked you a question.
Staff Sergeant William James: Twenty Four thousand Five hundred and eighty-three
Colonel Reed: Twenty Four thousand! Five hundred! And eighty-three! That's just hot shit. Twenty Four thousand Five hundred and eighty-three
Staff Sergeant William James: Counting today, sir, yes.
Colonel Reed: That's gotta be a record. What's the best way to... go about illegally downloading these things?
Staff Sergeant William James: The way you don't get caught, sir.
Colonel Reed: That's a good one. That's spoken like a wild man. That's good.

Kidding aside, the idea that "IP rights are bogus" is laughable. Only 50 states and the federal government disagree. There is other property besides tangible property, when you illegally take something you might not be depriving the owner of a physical good, but you're depriving the owner of the usefulness of it. I'd love to see some of these arguments in court. "Well your honor, the way I look at it you can't steal ideas man, that's what we learned in the SIXTIES man!" Yeah, good freaking luck with that loser.
May 26, 2011 1:14am
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
May 26, 2011 1:21 AM
kayo;781417 wrote:If I'm making movies then my goal is to make money. If I can do that by suing people who illegally download my movies, I guess that'll work, but I'd rather sell cheaper movies to more people.

I guess I don't understand why people are getting all up in arms about this lawsuit.
The people who illegally downloaded the movie are being asked to pay the production company for their wrongful acts. Whether they actually committed the acts is up to a court to decide, as is their penalty if the court finds in the plaintiffs' favor.
It's mostly the way they go about the lawsuits. They don't actually want to go to court, they want you to settle out of court so that judges don't have to scrutinize the means they used to gain their evidence and to decide whether their damage claims are reasonable. They use fear tactics and strongarm people because they know they can afford more attorneys than any of the defendants. I don't know about this case but the firms in these cases have used mass lawsuits to attempt to sue thousands at once and have previously been dismissed because it's ridiculous.

Again, not saying the people infringing on the copyrights were right but that this is maybe the worst way to go about it.
May 26, 2011 1:21am
Q

queencitybuckeye

Senior Member

7,117 posts
May 26, 2011 6:31 AM
tk421;780729 wrote:Media companies should be no different than any other area of our society. Like mentioned, we don't put kids in prison for shoplifting, underage drinking, etc. etc. Giving them special privileges just so they can scare people should not be allowed.

There's a 100% effective way to avoid any penalties. Don't steal.
May 26, 2011 6:31am
Tiger2003's avatar

Tiger2003

Kill or be Killed

15,421 posts
May 26, 2011 8:17 AM
hoops23;780423 wrote:
Great movie though LOL

You serious? The movie was fucking terrible.
May 26, 2011 8:17am
Rotinaj's avatar

Rotinaj

Senior Member

7,699 posts
May 26, 2011 9:55 AM
kayo;781312 wrote:OK, assume it costs me $1,000 to make a movie and I want to make $1,000 in total profit. I decide to price my DVD's at $10/each and thus must sell 200 of them to achieve my goal. However, some people would rather enjoy my movie for free by downloading it without paying, and at least some of those people are the ones I counted in being in that group of 200. Thus, I revise my projections and decide that because only 100 people will now legally buy my movie, I'm going to have to charge $20 per DVD.

Whether you call it 'lost cost' or 'lost profit', it's the same thing, and it clearly drives up the cost for the people that buy the DVD legally.

lol sound logic, too bad nothing like this has ever or will ever happen.
May 26, 2011 9:55am
j_crazy's avatar

j_crazy

7 gram rocks. how i roll.

8,372 posts
May 26, 2011 11:16 AM
with all the admitted torrent users on here, i'm surprised no one recieved a certified letter regarding this.
May 26, 2011 11:16am
krambman's avatar

krambman

Senior Member

3,606 posts
May 26, 2011 12:03 PM
Tiger2003;781621 wrote:You serious? The movie was fucking terrible.

Yep, the Academy regularly rewards "f*cking terrible" movies with the Oscar for Best Picture.
May 26, 2011 12:03pm
Tiger2003's avatar

Tiger2003

Kill or be Killed

15,421 posts
May 26, 2011 12:29 PM
krambman;781815 wrote:Yep, the Academy regularly rewards "f*cking terrible" movies with the Oscar for Best Picture.

Being in the Marines all Army movies are fucking terrible. Just being in the service I didn't like how it was done. So yes I believe it was terrible.
May 26, 2011 12:29pm
hoops23's avatar

hoops23

Senior Member

15,696 posts
May 26, 2011 12:31 PM
Tiger2003;781844 wrote:Being in the Marines all Army movies are fucking terrible. Just being in the service I didn't like how it was done. So yes I believe it was terrible.

Oh, so that means me and millions of others can't like it?

SMH
May 26, 2011 12:31pm
Tiger2003's avatar

Tiger2003

Kill or be Killed

15,421 posts
May 26, 2011 12:34 PM
hoops23;781847 wrote:Oh, so that means me and millions of others can't like it?

SMH

Did I say millions of others can't like it? No I didn't. I simply asked if "You were serious"
May 26, 2011 12:34pm
OneBuckeye's avatar

OneBuckeye

Senior Member

5,888 posts
May 26, 2011 12:50 PM
Tiger2003;781844 wrote:Being in the Marines all Army movies are fucking terrible. Just being in the service I didn't like how it was done. So yes I believe it was terrible.

Are Marine movies good? Just wondering if you hate the movies because they don't depict the war properly or just because it was the army.
May 26, 2011 12:50pm
Tiger2003's avatar

Tiger2003

Kill or be Killed

15,421 posts
May 26, 2011 1:00 PM
OneBuckeye;781870 wrote:Are Marine movies good? Just wondering if you hate the movies because they don't depict the war properly or just because it was the army.

I just think they do a shitty ass job on making war movies. There has been some great movies about past wars. There is only one good movie that has been done on this war. It is called "Battle of Haditha".

Alot of times I find myself sitting there thinking this is dumb as fuck we don't do that shit or that wouldnt happen. But I do understand they have to change some things for Hollywood.
May 26, 2011 1:00pm
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OneBuckeye

Senior Member

5,888 posts
May 26, 2011 1:03 PM
Tiger2003;781887 wrote:I just think they do a shitty ass job on making war movies. There has been some great movies about past wars. There is only one good movie that has been done on this war. It is called "Battle of Haditha".

Alot of times I find myself sitting there thinking this is dumb as fuck we don't do that shit or that wouldnt happen. But I do understand they have to change some things for Hollywood.

I definately see where you are coming from, and could see how a lot of parts of that movie could be dramatisized or exaggerated. I will have to check out the battle of haditha.
May 26, 2011 1:03pm
Tiger2003's avatar

Tiger2003

Kill or be Killed

15,421 posts
May 26, 2011 1:10 PM
OneBuckeye;781898 wrote:I definately see where you are coming from, and could see how a lot of parts of that movie could be dramatisized or exaggerated. I will have to check out the battle of haditha.

Battle of Haditha is very well done. It is was really happened. They didn't over do anything in the movie.
May 26, 2011 1:10pm