"@mediatemple hey they cloned our site getpopcornti.me in http://getpopcorntime.com - they linked some downloads as virus - watch out!" - https://twitter.com/getpopcornapp/status/442519692067241984
The other developer (jduncanator) went completely missing, and took both the github repo and the website with him.
The last commit is "Disabled the updater", looks like someone just forked it, stopped the player from updating (presumably since it would poll a set URL they don't have control over) and launched a new website.
As explained in the fist iteration of the product, popcorn time was an experiment to test the limits of real time technology. Look at what they've done. They received media attention, legal attention and certainly attention from the tech community. The founders have created a name for themselves and released something very cool in the process.
Basically, if you use a torrent client to download a movie, it is in your interest to not upload/seed it because that's when you get caught (usually).
Because Popcorn app forces you to seed the movie, it is clearly illegal in the US and will get you in trouble if you can't hide your tracks.
PS: It is legal to share/stream/upload your own content. As long as it doesn't violate some other law.
And, to those saying "This is for non-copyright/author approved stuff", I say "I was not born yesterday".
And personally, I spend sparing time looking at art on deviantart from the some hundred or so artists I follow, listening to the music and podcasts I follow on bandcamp / rss, watching youtube videos, and read the books and novels of authors from all over the Internet that publish their works online. Plenty of stuff to occupy oneself with.
Not trying to argue in the OPs favor, just saying inherent to an Internet connection is access to effectively infinite material.
In short, you steal because you don't want to pay or you can't pay (either not available in your market or you don't have the money).
One thing is peer pressure. People want to watch what their friends are watching, because they want to be able to discuss about the last movie or the last episode of a series.
Another thing is that when someone wants to watch something, he is not casually browsing for any content, but wants to see something specific. Trailers and commercial do a really good job to captivate the interest of people. The effect, though, is that they will want to see that exact content, no matter how.
I agree with you, but I don't think "peer pressure" is the right way of stating it. It's more about existing in the same social context. It's also why a lot of people's conceptions of poverty are often far too limited. Poverty isn't just about not having money for food or shelter – you can have both and still be poor. It's about not being able to exist in that same realm as your peers.
It's like if you are running around town looking for a parking spot. You find a place where you could park your car, it's not bothering anyone and doesn't block anyone and anything else it just isn't marked.
If you have a cheap real parking near, you probably wouldn't park in the unmarked spot. But if the first legal alternative is 5 miles away, a private parking charging you 10 bucks every hour, a maximum 5 minutes parking then you probably stop in the unmarked spot.
It's legal ? No. It's actively bothering anyone other than the policeman writing you the ticket if he finds out ? No. You hope that they won't find out, and won't write you a ticket ? of course you do.
(I think the analogy might be getting overloaded at this point)
Sure you can use a VPN and hack around a way to use Netflix, but that's a lesser experience than that offered by Popcorn Time.
(I don't use either, I cry.)
Next bizarre justification for benefiting from other peoples' commercial work without paying?
But the speed and UX of this app is quite obviously the next stage of evolution for the movie business.
Sorry but I'm tired of overpriced popcorn and people slurping sodas next to me in the theater. I think Big Movie need to be forced into action and an app like PT makes "C&D letters" less and less of an option.
You ask why not, but it's you who are trying to define limits to action, so it's you who should justify why.
Every single person who has legitimate access to it has given the owner something in return for a license to use the product, with the agreement that they're not going to share it with other people.
So that's why. Now explain to me why you're exempt from that? You're knowingly benefiting from someone else breaking their word. How are you not acting immorally?
I also refuse to purchase DRMed content, for obvious reasons.
