Trending With Content Theft - Your Thoughts?

Based on something Jim said in his thread about all the StrongBox notifications he's been getting recently and based on my own observations with this too, do you think that surfers who are actually stealing other peoples content have a pattern of abuse much like regular criminals do?

For example, take your everyday petty theif, sooner or later he's going to end up commiting crime on a larger scale, with his criminal activites escalating to more and more serious things until he/she gets caught. Do you think content theives act with the same frame of mind?

They start out hotlinking pics and/or movies, then they go to sharing content directly from within a members area, then they go to password trading, torrent seeding, brute force attacks, ddos attacks, etc?

Do you think there is a 'growth' pattern with content theives that starts out with small stuff like hotlinking, and ultimately ends with more serious actions such as copyright theft, computer crimes (DDOS) etc?

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think there is an escalation in how the surfers/webmasters that start out hotlinking/sharing content behaves when it comes to membership sites?

Regards,

Lee

yes, I would guess that it would escalate or go in similar directions. Some might start out as 'content thieves' then progress as you say, others become webmasters to rip off free content from sponsors, attempt to get free stuff for their new so called 'legit' operation, when the goal is to simply satisfy their own needs, which yeah, they most likely find ways to captilize on.

Lot I think depends on how much they learn, but generally, I'd say they do progress up the scale of being scum.. :morning:

I think you need to divided "surfers" into recreational surfers or webmasters for a more accurate answer to that.

Surfers/members often have habitual collection habits. They download and collect everythying, maybe share it with their friends, but don't usually publish it or use for commercial return.

The guys that would progress along the path that you described Lee would have some reason to do so - they're monetizing it.

Alternatively they're REALLY bored. Which I've ofen thought the case with a lot of the hotlinking that happens from Asia. I haven't experienced it amounting to anything as serious as what you suggested however.

My guess is that most content thieves don't escalate their actions. Most simply do not have any fear of the consequences and/or don't think there is anything wrong with their actions. But I do think there are some big assholes out there that would do just about anything to take down someone who tried to stop their theft.