When we make decisions, there’s always some measure of struggle between reason and emotion.  Our ideal versus reality.  And it always gives me a hearty chuckle to see folks trying to lay the hammer down hard on one side of that see-saw, and then be shocked when the other side pops up, sending a wide-eyed child hurtling through the air.

When it comes to banning, restricting, and otherwise trying to keep people from doing what they do, the argument starts with the emotional ideal that everyone can basically agree on.  “We don’t want hard working creators to starve to death.  We don’t want machine gun vending machines in junior high schools.  We don’t want kindergarteners turning tricks for smack.”  Everyone agreed so far, right?

So next, is the “simple” solution.  We’ll just make it illegal!  That’ll be the end of it, right?  Everyone obeys all the laws, all the time, so problem solved, right?

We need to remember that all these things work in a system.  And like any system, it reaches equilibrium when some new pressure is introduced.  Call it action and reaction, supply and demand, fries and a shake, whatever. 

If there is a demand, it will be filled. And there’s not a ton you can do to suppress demand.  Adding negative consequences doesn’t change the demand, it just makes things more costly.  You can only affect supply, and really only the manner of delivery.  But not always in the way you plan.

Think of it like plumbing, or electricity.  Pressure from one side of the system will just push things through cracks you didn’t know were there, and potentially cause new ones or even ruptures.  Now you’re spending all your efforts patching and plugging, and things aren’t getting any better. 

Look at Prohibition, or the Opium Wars.  The harder restrictions were pushed, the worse things got for everyone.  In more modern, and relevant, examples:  When the RIAA finally beheaded Napster, like the hydra, dozens of new heads grew in it’s place.  When copy-protected content became cumbersome to the legitimate buyers, they became pirates. 

We don’t seem to be learning.  Or at least our old codger law makers and billion dollar lobbies don’t.  What will happen if they finally get their sweaty ham-hands in a fevered choke-hold around the necks of our beloved internet service providers?  We’ll all find another way.  A way even less regulated, and far less safe to conduct business with, than it is now.  At the moment, everyone is mostly playing nice.  Websites comply as best they can to copyright law, and minimize potential for shady dealings.

Codgers corking up our series of tubes won’t help anybody.

Some folks are learning that pirates aren’t out to steal everything they can get their hands on, and kill all profitability for the things they love.  They just want convenience.  Something that’s cheap, easy, and works.

Enter Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, etc. 

The new kids are delivering content in smarter ways than the old dogs.  That’s progress, that’s innovation.  What the barking old mutts haven’t learned, is that those things will happen, no matter how loud they bark, or even if they start biting.  That’ll just push them out faster.

I’ll admit something.  I pirate all the time.  It seems hypocritical, I make a living making content.  Digital content.  I put my artwork up on my site in wallpaper sizes, with low compression.  You want to go to Kinko’s and make your own print?  I couldn’t make it easier for you.  I see counterfeit stuff online, and in brick and mortar game stores all the time.  So I appreciate the hell out of the fine folks who buy from my site.  They’re the reason I can feed my imaginary children.

So, while I pirate, I also buy.  I buy content like my money was on fire.  And merch from those same folks.  Shelves of webcomic collection books, stacks of dvds, and more art than I have wall space for.  I should probably have a dedicated credit card for my Kindle.  Because I know that for these folks to keep doing what their doing, and for the next generation to follow them, they need more than just fan mail, they need financial support. 

For me, piracy takes the place of free trials.  If I like it, or use it, I throw money at it.

Some notable and incriminating examples:  Photoshop, Maya, zBrush.  All expensive bits of software, that way back, I learned on pirated copies of.  But I’ve been supporting those guys with every release since, because they make superior products.  They’re spending time and money to continue innovating.  I’m glad to toss my cash on the pile when that’s how their using it.

Let’s let our internet stay the one truly free place in the world, and as it’s citizens, conduct ourselves as contributors and peers.