What people think about piracy

What people think about piracy

JAKARTA (JP): Originality does not always count, at least, not
for pirates and those who use pirated items.

The cheap prices of fake items, their wide availability and
their "relatively good" quality have lured people to buy them.

Some yield to the temptation, some resist.

How do people feel about piracy?

Armand Maulana, singer: I buy pirated CD videos because they
are available anywhere in the markets. It's cheaper and the
quality is quite good. Original VCDs cost Rp 60,000 each while
the copied ones are just Rp 15,000 each. So, which one do you
prefer? I swear to God that I wouldn't buy copied VCDs if they
were not available in the markets. But, I'm not that bad because
I only bought the three Indiana Jones films on VCD. Being a
singer myself, piracy is not good.

Bens Leo, a music critic: Piracy is not about only money but
the morality of copycats and buyers which is totally against
intellectual property rights laws.

It seems that our authorities are still facing difficulties
dragging illegal producers and traders to court even though
business associations whose products have been pirated keep
investigating the cases in cooperation with the police.

Dr. Myrnawati, public health expert at Islamic Yarsi
University's school of medicine: It seems that the trend of
piracy has increased significantly with women's products as the
favorite items. We can easily find many pirated goods offered at
many places throughout the country.

I don't think the government has any idea about such illegal
trading practices but I support the government not banning the
illegal business because 80 percent of Indonesians cannot afford
to buy genuine goods, which are so expensive.

The government could prohibit only the trading of pirated
items which are made by Indonesians.

It does not matter to me on whether the goods I buy are
genuine or not. What's important to me is that I like the product
and I'm ready for any consequences.

Being an educator, I have learned that piracy has certain
advantages especially because foreign-language literature is
expensive and scarce here.

Haptop Best, a palmist: There's no reason for the government
to let the bad piracy situation grow worse. It should be stopped
immediately if we want to have more innovative citizens and
reduce the number of lazy people, who prefer copying things to
inventing new products.

There should be a massive campaign about the effects the
nation will suffer if we keep producing, selling and purchasing
pirated goods.

In short, the government should begin taking stern action
unless we want to see our people simple-minded for their whole
lives.

Awang, a freelance agent of pirated items in Glodok, West
Jakarta: The growing business of copied goods flooding both
streetside and sophisticated shopping areas across the country
reflects the people's genuine demand and buying power. The buffs
of pirated items are not only from the grassroots. I can tell you
that many public figures, like film stars, legislators and models
have been my regular customers for quite a long time.

So, if you want to stop it, ask the original producers not to
sell their goods so far above a reasonable price. If they can
make it, I guarantee people in the developing nations won't buy
the copied goods anymore which will lead the illegal business to
its grave.

Dewi Motik, a businesswoman and deputy chairwoman of
Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry: It's just natural
that every creator wants their intellectual work to be
appreciated and shun their creations being pirated. Our problem
is that there are still many of us, especially our traditional
people in villages and even scientists, still ignore copyright
laws. There are, of course, positive and negative things about
piracy. Having cheap pirated products is good but, believe me,
it's an evil work. I don't buy pirated products on purpose. It's
only later that I find out the things I have bought are pirated.

Reza Faisal, a university student: As long as the government
does nothing against piracy, people from all walks of life,
including the well-to-dos, will enjoy using, consuming,
purchasing and producing a variety of illegally copied items. I
think the government has planned the correct time to act because
at the moment, so many people -- particularly students and even
professionals -- cannot afford to buy the original goods because
of their expensive prices. So, if you have enough money, buy the
authentic ones and let other people purchase things based on
their buying power. Simple, isn't it? Producers of the original
brands should not force low-income people to buy genuine goods.

Emmy Hafild, executive director of Indonesian Forum for
Environment: Yes, I buy some pirated goods, like books, in Taiwan
and India. But it's not too often because I highly appreciate the
writers, especially when they are not rich. The government should
exempt science books, for instance, from tax so more people can
afford them.

Laksmiari Priyonggo, Indonesian Democratic Party legislator: I
never look to see if the products I buy are genuine or fake but,
basically, I am against piracy. But sometimes we cannot get away
from it. For example, I am very fond of reading and willing to
pay a lot for the information I need, especially for banned books
which I don't mind copying if it's very hard to find a copy.
Copyright owners should be proud if their products are pirated.
Doesn't it mean that their works are popular? Remember the author
Emha Ainun Najib who once said that letting his books be pirated
was a kind of charity?

Usually, it is not the creators who are money-minded people
but their managers who are afraid of losing their fortunes
because of piracy. (08/aan/bsr/05)