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I am going to explain to you why, and what the difference is between sites like The Pirate Bay and Google.

In the town where I live, you see a new Asian Massage Parlor (AMP) pop up from time-to-time. Of course, you CAN get a regular massage in one of these places, but if you know the right protocol, you can get much more than a massage This is why most people go to AMPs. Now, I personally think prostitution should be legal, and have visited a few of these places myself, but I am never surprised when one of these places get shut down, because prostitution IS illegal here, after all; they're just enforcing the law.

And one thing you do NOT see are the owners of these establishments crying, "Waaaaaaah! We're just like every other massage parlor in town!!!!' Why? Because they know better. It's highly likely that some of this illegal activity goes on at the legit massage parlors, but if the owners found out that one or more of the girls at the legit places were providing 'extras', those girls would be fired immediately, because the owners know they would get shut down too if the cops ever found out about it. Contrast that with the AMPs, who not only allow the illegal activity to go on, but also ENCOURAGE it, and they even advertise these services on sites like Backpage or Craigslist.

So, if you support piracy and think the laws should be changed to allow it, that's ok. But with the laws being what they are, you can't be too surprised when a site like this gets shut down, or try to play the 'they're just like Google!!!' card, because clearly they're not.

Edit: I don't support piracy myself, but do realize that technology makes piracy inevitable, and it will never be stopped. Sure, you can try to make it harder for pirates by shutting down these sites, which will ultimately be about as productive as pissing into the wind.

Edited 2012-04-30 19:12 UTC

WorknMan,


"Edit: I don't support piracy myself, but do realize that technology makes piracy inevitable, and it will never be stopped. Sure, you can try to make it harder for pirates by shutting down these sites, which will ultimately be about as productive as pissing into the wind."

I don't think anyone should be entitled to copy the digital works of others without compensation. On the other-hand I don't think owners of digital works should be entitled to impose DRM on users who have compensated the owners. So I do think the pirate bay does help protect even legitimate users from abusive DRM.

The recent switch over to digital cable networks in the US is an excellent case study, all of a sudden people are faced with DRM where there previously was none. Time shifting DVRs are breaking. Even those who prepared by buying digital TVs/tuners need to rent new decryption boxes due to DRM, and even playable digital streams have "no copy" flags which consumer devices and operating systems are required to adhere to. It all serves to nullifying consumers' legally granted fair use rights. It's all possible because corporations are willing/able to buy laws, and today's governments are unwilling/unable to protect the public's interests.

First of all - thank you for your extensive response, I appreciate it.

However, I do not think we can compare piracy to prostitution. I - myself - do not support piracy. I also do not support shutting down service with "this whole stuff is illegal" ticket. I do not support taking our freedoms away with "we need to do it, because we fight terrorism" ticket too. I think it's unreasonable, illogical, and - as you kindly mentioned - there is a more inherent and non-removable problem that lies elsewhere: piracy can not be stopped. Why? because piracy is sharing, and sharing is something we do since we evolved from apes.
Some people try to convince us that sharing is bad, where - in fact - sharing is good and constructive. It creates bonds between people, it makes helping other people possible. It widens our horizons, it makes us better people.
Marketing model ... business model ... now, that's what is flawed. That's what needs to change.