I don't know how many artists know (or care) about the NET Act -- I didn't until I read about it over on SceneLink. Basically, it's yet another "legal" way to prevent piracy. Now you don't have to be a big-time warez trader or sysop to get nailed. Under the new law, practically anyone with even a handful of pirated software can get busted. As with most people, I don't think it will have a great effect on most of us. However, the reason people are getting busted (and have been busted in the past) bothers me a lot.

Basically, it's people that cling to the fringes of the whole underground computer community. It used to be the "lamers" on elite bulletin boards, now it's the same people but on IRC instead. The people that just can't seem to be accepted into the group. A few years ago, it was the jerk-offs who got voted down in the NUV on their local boards, now it's the people who can't get access to any well-stocked FTP sites. They get pissed off because they're shunned by those of us with the coolest software or the highest access. They dig up a little dirt, usually betraying the trust of unsuspecting friends in the process. Then they call the SPA and rat out whatever sysop, site owner or other individual(s) who don't give them what they want.

A few years ago, several local artboards went down. Not because of inactivity...even as IRC was taking over, some of these boards still were busy around the clock! No, it was because of someone who, because of their own stupidity and immaturity, didn't get accepted onto a BBS and decided to make sure that if they couldn't get on it, neither could anyone else. Let's face it, the artscene has become dependent on ill-gotten software. Most of the hirez artists I know can't afford to pay for Photoshop, 3DS Max or any number of other graphics packages. And how many BBSers ever registered PKzip? Without pirated software, the artscene would be in a sorry state, especially when it comes to hirez art and website design. But there are those among us that figure that if nobody's going to share warez with them, they'll take it out on whoever is convenient.

In the case of those local boards I mentioned, a couple of losers threatened to turn in sysops *if* they couldn't have access to the warez. They didn't have an ethical problem with software piracy, only with the fact that they couldn't get any of it. Within one summer, my three favorite artboards were down. Why? Because if these people did rat out the sysops, there would be enough illegal software there for a bust...and what high school or college kid running a board can afford to have his PC confiscated and get fined? None that I know. And so the losers STILL didn't get the warez they wanted, but at least they had the satisfaction of knowing that they ruined everyone else's fun.

Just don't be a prick. The warez scene is a necessity to so many artists, be it good or bad. If you aren't getting a cut of the action, maybe it's time you check your own attitude. Whether you're a sysop, courier or just an "enthusiast", be careful who you talk to. It's not the feds-in-sheep's clothing you need to watch for -- it's the people around you who want what you have.

-inazone