Greg Morris

Ethical Pirating

Last week the new Mortal Kombat film launched, but only in the US! This isn’t exactly a blockbuster film but something I really want to watch given my love of the old one, and the game. Understandably filmmakers are having to find new ones to generate the income they deserve for the films they make, but they seem to be tone-deaf when it comes to limiting releases.

The film is available to buy and stream in the US, but nowhere else. Meaning that everyone outside the US cannot watch it unless they adopt illegal means. No doubt many people will resort to this to watch, but I prefer to make sure content creators receive the money they deserve. However, I don’t want to wait.

Is there an ethical middle ground? Is it OK to pirate a film if you then buy it when it comes out to give back? There is no reason viewers outside the US should wait for an indeterminate amount of time, and it is almost impossible for me to avoid people talking about it. This is a hard question, and no doubt many people will just watch the film for free.

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