QUEZON City, Philippines (October 9) – How would you feel if you have worked so hard on a project but you learned that other people are taking advantage of the profit? Of course all your efforts will be wasted and the money that is supposed to be yours will benefit others. That is the usual situation of thousands of scriptwriters, producers and directors when their movies and videos are pirated.
Video piracy is a form of stealing especially when a film or work is copyrighted. People are not allowed to distribute the copies without the consent of the filmmakers unless it is for educational or personal use. Sadly, due to our technological advancements, many people are able to obtain copies and put it on the internet. Some sell it to earn money, while others post it just for the sake of those who cannot afford to watch it. Either way, it decreases the supposed earnings of a film because the audience diminishes. Laws against video piracy are present in all parts of the globe, but it seems that people are no longer afraid of it for it takes a lot of work to track these thieves. Video piracy is a serious matter for it can affect not only the directors and producers, but also the economic status of a country. Millions of jobs will be lost if this crime continues. In fact, according to the Directors Guild of America, 375,000 jobs are lost each year because of piracy and in the future, 1.2 million jobs will be lost if this will not stop.The only way to put an end to this is for us consumers to refrain from downloading and watching these films through the internet.
Yes it is much more convenient and affordable to watch movies online instead of buying a pricey ticket in the cinema, but think of the tremendous amount of work that the filmmakers did just to finish the film. Their resources, props, talents and ideas are not free. They did not work 24/7 just for people to have the liberty of distributing copies around the world. It is time to put an end to this crime by not encouraging these ‘pirates’ through buying CD copies and watching films in the internet. If you do not have enough money to watch it, just wait for the release of the original CD copy or special discount prices. You won’t be able to view it immediately, but at least you will have the time to save for it plus, you will have a legit copy that will last a lifetime. We must also have the initiative to report the users and the websites who illegally post copies of films especially the latest ones.
A crime, no matter how small it is, is still a crime. Piracy teaches us to cheat and steal from others. The people behind those films deserve to be respected and given credit for their work. Let us give them justice by preventing pirates from stealing their loots.
(written by Carissa Lazaro, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Lovely Ann Cruz)
