Pirates of Moscow: Dead Man's DVD

While I was in Turkey, it was an urban legend among the pirate dvd-stall owners that there were big "factories" producing pirate dvd and cd's in Russia. Knowing that all the illegal software somehow came from Russia, it wasn't so hard to believe that and some of my buddies from those stalls (which were periodically razed by the police but somehow reappeared in another part of the city...the police even once performed a press act by bulldozing a heap of pirate cd's. I witnessed that event in the heart of Istanbul and there were some old people shouting "Damn you pirate cd producers"...You can make people damn anyone in Turkey; just give them some motives) asked me to make some new contacts in the pirate DVD business when they heard that i was moving to Moscow.

Of course, I have no interest in making illegal business (I chose honorable glamour years ago) but as a hardcore software and gaming enthusiast I made my way to the pirate DVD empire of Gorbushka on my third day in Moscow...I even couldn't read Russian alphabet then. I cannot bear to imagine how i made bargains with sellers...

So what makes people bu pirate dvd's? because it is so hell cheap and I don't think anybody in Russia cares a damn about the intelligence rights of some fat Americans...Maybe it even nourishes the sense of retaliation in every non-american's heart: "They have invaded the world, sucking it dry of resources and this is (maybe the only) way to give them some harm." Personally, I prefer to buy licensed copies (not all because I honor the codes of the dishonoured) but I am sick of buying games in japanese or buying films that turn out to be gay pornography (last time I had a real hard time making my girlfriend believe that)

Today I stumpled upon this photo in internet and wanted to share with you this perfect example...It was taken on Lyubyanka Square (home to many ingenious torture sessions while it was home to KGB Headquarters..now FSB), minutes away from the Kremlin (and the crowded venues of Kitay-Gorod)...the photo speaks for itself



Note: Turkish Invasion strongly advocates for the purchase of licensed copies of films, software and music (especially of Russian origin: Buy official Russian music to support the most advanced musical society to create more popcorn music) . Dinc has personally destroyed the pirate material he has unintentionally bought years ago (by not storing them appropriately..now none of his cd's work)