Again, I'm late. On June 30th the ICE shut down 9 websites that distributed pirated movies and TV series. One of them was ninjavideo.net.
I often watched American and British TV shows there, simply because I couldn't watch them any other way here in Germany. When they had problems with one ad provider, I donated a little money, because I didn't take this super convenient service for granted. But not only did NinjaVid have just about everything and anything that one could want to watch, awesome specials (like the Dennis Hopper collection), they also had a very lively and intelligent community.
All of that was shut down, the funds seized and the bank accounts shut down, so now the Ninjas can't even afford legal proceedings. If you want to help, have a look here:
or follow @SaveNinjaVideo on twitter : http://twitter.com/SaveNinjaVideo
or on facebook : http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=129200970452184
Of course, all attempts at creating a Legal Fund have been stopped immedeately, accounts have been frozen and so far the only way to help out seems to be to click the ads on Save Ninja Video.
So do I support illegal pirating of movies? Yes AND no.
No, because I generally respect laws and regulations.
Yes, because these websites are the only way for millions of people around the world to watch shows and films that are not available in their country.
No, because pirating movies obviously costs production companies money that they need to make more movies. But ironically it is mostly the very big production companies complaining about piracy, and they could effortlessly cut their costs to balance out their losses by deflating the ridiculous salaries for their (already extremely rich) actors.
Yes, because watching some shows or movies online usually makes me want to go and own the DVD or go to the cinema, respectively. It's like a free advertisement for the movies, and it allows you to make informed decisions before you pay money.
YES, because there is no alternative. I have read SO many times on various different blogs and forums, that many people would happily pay a reasonable fee to watch their favorite programmes online in good quality, but there is no provider for it.
The demand is high for a legal way to watch TV and movies online and on demand. Let's hope it's coming soon.
Now what do you think?
More links for a more or less informed opinion:
ePirate
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