Chapter 4: Steal this Film II

Your Name Kayley Cartwright Class time: MWF 12pm

Name of Movie: Steal this Film
Year: 2006
Producers: The Pirate Bay


1. What questions/thoughts/reactions do you have after watching this film? (QUESTIONING):

o Why have international copyright laws been created yet?
o How was Pirate Bay able to get their site back up in working order after the raid and not get into any further trouble?
o When did the Pirate Bay raid take place?

2. Foundation (UNDERSTANDING):

a. What is the Pirate Bay?
Pirate Bay is a website based in Sweden that allowed users to download movies without paying for them. Pirate Bay is a site that allows users to share files.
b. What do they stand for (what is their mission)?
Pirate Bay stands for the freedom of speech.
c. What is their purpose for making and distributing this film as a free download?
Making and distribution this film as a free download because they want people to learn about file sharing and what people can benefit from file sharing. They want to show that that file sharing in no illegal and the company has the right the keep the site running.

3. Provide 3 referenced connections to Baase readings (LINKING).

a. “ The Napster and Grokster decisions made it clear that businesses that encourage copyright infringement and provide tools to do so as a fundamental part of that’s business model cannot operate legally.” (p.212)
b. “ The first major legal cases based on the DMCA involved the Content Scrambling System (CSS), a protection scheme for movies. DeCSS could, of course, be used to create numerous unauthorized copies, and that might well be its main use.” (p.218)
c. “Creative works such as books, articles, plays, songs (both music and lyrics), works of art, movies, and software are protected by copyright, a legal concept that defines rights to intellectual property.” (p.198)

4. There are at least 10 people interviewed in this film. Name 5 of these people, explain why they are included in the film (why they are significant). How do they relate/add information to the overall theme of the film (KNOWLEDGE):

a. Lawrence Liang is a legal researcher and lawyer based in Bangalore. He is against the politics of Intellectual Property.
b. Yochai Benkler is a professor of law and author. Benkler is the Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School.
c. Bram Cohen is a computer programmer and an author BitTorrent Protocol.
d. Fred von Lohmann is an American lawyer and specializes in Intellectual Property.
e. Rick Prelinger is an Internet archivist and founder of Prelinger Archivies.

5. Name, and define, 3 significant people interviewed in the movie (KNOWLEDGE):

a) Fredrik Neij is the co-founder of Pirate Bay.
b) Gottfried Svartholm is a Swedish computer specialist and co-founder of Pirate Bay.
c) Peter Sunde is an IT expert and co-founder and spokesperson of Pirate Bay.

6. What are the main ideas being discussed within this movie? By referencing the book, make 2 connections between Baase and this film (COMPREHENSION).

One of the main ideas being talked about in the film is that Pirate Bay is being accused of breaking the United States copyright laws. The copyright laws do not apply to the company that is based in Sweden. The MPAA tried suing Pirate Bay for the company file sharing and breaking copyright laws. “Digital technology and the Internet empowered us all to be publishers, thus to become copyright owners (for our blogs and photos, for example), and they empowered us all to copy, and thus to infringe copyrights (Baase p.202).”

7. What is BitTorrent? Explain what it does and how this technologic advancement had changed society. (COMPREHENSION)

BitTorrent is a file sharing protocol used to distribute large amounts of data. BitTorrent is responsible for most of the Internet traffic and large data file sharing. For the police to stop file sharing they cannot just stop one computer, the police would have to find and shut down all of the computers that is part of the file sharing process.

8. Based on the main point off this film (If you don’t understand read: http://stealthisfilm.com/Part2/). Where do you see connections to your experiences, or within society – BE SPECIFIC AND REFERENCE THE BOOK (APPLICATION)?

When I was younger Napster was a major controversy. The website allowed for the file sharing of music and it was free. Napster allowed people to get their favorite music for nothing, which was better than running to the store and having to buy a whole CD for $15.00. When Napster first came out I didn’t understand the concept of file sharing and copyright laws. After watching “Steal This Film”, I was able to understand piracy, file sharing, and copyright laws. “Users and observers of digital media and of the Internet debate whether copyright can surivive the enormously increased ease of copying and the habits and expectations that developed about sharing information and entertainment online (Baase p.203).”


9. Analyze what you’ve watched. Use your Baase connections. What do you think is the future of distribution, production and creativity? What do you think is the future of Intellectually Property in the Information Age? ? (ANALYSIS)

Future distribution, production and creativity will come with stronger copyright laws and security to prevent infringement. I think that the distribution of movies and music will become more digital and Internet based. Intellectually Property in the Information Age will become more of an issue and will see many changes.

10. Do you think that downloading is stealing someone’s Intellectual Property? Why or why not? Back up with Baase (ANALYSIS)?

I think that downloading is stealing someone’s Intellectual Property. Although it is available to download on the Internet the site that is allowing you to download does not own the rights to the song, movie or software someone else does. Infringement of copyright is illegal and a person caught may have to pay the company money or if severe case many get jail time. “The entertainment industry has filed hundreds of lawsuits against individuals whom it accuses of sharing music. Letters to college students threaten fines of thousands of dollars (Baase p.214).”

11. How do you see issues of copyright and Intellectual property effecting the world 50 years from today? BE SPECIFIC (SYNTHESIS)

50 years from today there will still be issues with Intellectual Property and copyright laws. File sharing on the Internet and piracy will become larger and more severe than it is today and will be harder to stop. Although the governments try to stop file sharing, piracy, and copyright infringement by creating more laws with harder punishments people will still participate in these illegal acts.

12. Do you agree with what is being said within movie? Explain. (EVALUATION)

From the companies stand point I do agree with what they are saying. Pirate Bay is a Sweden based company and should not be in trouble with the United States because of breaking their copyright laws. I also agree with MPAA on the basis that Pirate Bay should not allow people to file share movies for free instead of the people going out and seeing the movie in a theater or buying a copy of the film. At some point all of the world governments need to come together to try and create an international copyright law which would make the file sharing that happens on Pirate Bay illegal.

13. Has your opinion shifted on this topic after watching this film? Have you created any new ideas after watching, and thinking about, this film? (EVALUATION)

While I see many of the great point that Pirate Bay makes, my opinion on file sharing and copyright infringement does not change. I always thought of downloading music from the Internet was an illegal thing. After the Napster ordeal my generation was taught about the reciprocations of file sharing. I prefer to use iTunes and pay for my music or rent movies through Netflix or Blockbuster.