Don't blame the pirates for the pirating

摘要

Contraband and pirating are two sides of the same coin. But don't think for a minute that, with all the IP problems (referring, in this case, to Intellectual Properties, not Internet Protocol) the fault lies mostly with the kids who download files, or the local bohemians who sell audiovisual product on CDs and DVDs. The culprits whom, apparently, no one — the FBI~*, the MPAA~*, the RIAA~*, IRMA~* — wants to see, are, in my view, the manufacturers. Imagine, for a moment, those poor souls who race coast-to-coast or criss-cross borderline highways to smuggle contraband cigarettes. Where do you think they get the merchandise? Not just a few cartons, mind you, but truckloads of the stuff multiplied by the thousands.