[Double_Cast]

Like pg said, Netflix and Megaupload are publishers. I dislike your carpenter analogy because it conflates the creative aspect of the film industry (music, et al) with the distributive aspect.

Traditional publishers deserve to die if films can be distributed for free. So I wouldn't begrudge pirate sites as long the film's creators were compensated. But as I understand, pirate sites never pay the creators a dime. I think this is an important problem since royalties are what motivate creators to make stuff in the first place.

[NickNameNick]

Every time this point comes up I feel compelled to mention http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting Not to say the the pirates aren't that bad, but more to remind that the studios and distributors aren't much better.

[Double_Cast]

Yeah. I know a guy who takes the same stance. It's tough being an artist.

> Pirating isn't that radical since studios pay artists scraps anyway. If you really like an artist, you attend their gigs and buy the merch. That's where the artists really make their money.