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To many people, however, that will not be enough, because such video banks are by definition already on the market, and you are simply downloading videos that you have probable seen before. The same is true of renting videos. There are some great rental sites online, where for a monthly subscription you can borrow as many videos as you want, though generally only three at any one time.
So what's the attraction on Bootleg movies and why do people not want to download free movies legally? Possibly the challenge: that "they won't get me" syndrome. If so, then they are possibly right, because only a miniscule proportion of those downloading bootleg movies have actually been prosecuted. That is hardly a disincentive to download free movies illegally.
Another more obvious reason is that legal downloads have already been issued by the makers in video format, although it is possible to download relatively new movies at a price. However, probably the major reason for bootleg movies is that the file sharing software used to transfer them is not itself illegal. That has been established by decisions made by judges in the USA. What has been declared illegal is DVD copying systems, but that is not the problem.
Another reason why bootleg movies are so popular is that many do not believe it to be immoral. Illegal perhaps, but immoral, no. The bleating by spoiled artists and movie moguls about how much money they are losing is short of credibility when we read of the obscene sums of money being paid to prima donnas for just one movie. My dad worked a lot harder than they do and did not earn in his entire life what they earn for one movie.
I suppose I am the same, so don't let them bleat to me about how much they are losing. They should try the real world for a few days - they wouldn't survive! So no, the moral objection doesn't wash with me, nor with the vast majority that download their movies using P2P file sharing software. However, that doesn't make it legal, and we must have some laws protecting originators from their work being stolen.
So, if many of us don't believe Joe Public should be prosecuted and incarcerated for downloading the odd movie now and again, and we don't believe it immoral to do so but think it should be illegal, what is the answer? Simple!
Prosecute those that illegally download bootleg movies and sell them for profit - throw them in prison and shoot them if you want, and then figure out some way to charge for file sharing downloads made by the rest that simply want to watch the movie, but either can't afford the high cinema prices these days, or live so far away from one that they are unable to see movies until they come on TV or video.
What is annoying is that these people with so much money do nothing but bleat because the kids are using new technology rather than develop their own technology to control P2P downloads or even protect their movies so it can't be done. The same is true of music - there are plenty music tracks that can't be shared so why are they not all protected that way? Afraid to spend part of their millions to do so?
Bootleg movies will continue as long as people can download them. There are bigger criminals in the world to chase after than high school kids and their moms, so why not get the Asians that are making a killing selling all their pirated and freely downloaded DVDs on eBay? We all know who they are, and all buy from them, or is it too much hard work. It's easier to pick on some kids than Asian cartels who make their millions from it, isn't it!
