On Nov. 3, I noticed that a new Twitter account was following me on that microblogging site, and its name intrigued me: @czyIKEAjestOK [is IKEA OK?]. It turns out that the account set up only a day before, on Nov. 2, belongs to an initiative of Polish citizens who work for IKEA via another, smaller, company called Solid Security, and who claim to be mistreated by those. They claim to be earning amounts below the national minimal wage, being assigned to work up to 16 hours daily and lacking the basic benefits, as we read on their Facebook page [POL]:

Our employers lower our wages, but also make us sign fictional contracts depriving us of the basic rights like annual leave or sick leave benefits.

When representatives of the employees entered IKEA building to turn in a copy of their petition containing the above-mentioned issues and signed by all of the affected, hoping to be able to talk to an IKEA spokesman, they were asked to leave the building by the head of security himself. This situation was filmed and is available on all of their social media sites.

The initiative's blog explains the main question they are raising via the on-line campaign [POL]:

We work for IKEA, but officially we are employed by another company. We earn low wages, we have no social fund. Buying medicine, illness is a financial catastrophe for us. IKEA washed their hands off it - officially they are not responsible. Is this OK?

It also hosts a voting where you can choose between ‘I am not bothered' and ‘ I think it's not OK' options.

‘And you, what do you think? Do you think IKEA is OK? Have your say:

I am not bothered. / It's not OK.'

On their site, in the FAQ section, we find a reason why the citizens have decided to contact IKEA directly to address their issues [POL]:

Of course we wanted to talk to Solid Security, the company which employed us, first, but we were ignored. Solid are aware of their position and the advantage they have over their employees, so any conversation is very difficult. That's why we decided to seek support at the company that pays Solid and thus can have a huge impact on their operations.

This initiative was picked up by a few on-line news portals, and was described by Interaktywnie.com (a Polish social media marketing portal)  in a news article, where commentators praised the neat build-up of the on-line campaign. Generally, however, there is a small amount of reactions on-line, which focus mainly on questioning why IKEA was targeted instead of Solid Security, pointing out that no-one is forced to work there, and waiting to see how the initiative develops.

On a portal dedicated to the industry news, Abenador states [POL]:

I have no idea if IKEA is OK or not, but when it comes to work conditions at SOLID, their employees should talk to … SOLID. Including IKEA in this argument is probably unnecessary and makes no sense (they are not the employers).

Aaa2 responds to this on a different forum [POL]:

Of course the employees did go to SOLID, too. IKEA is one of the largest clients of Solid and it is also said to be socially responsible. It cannot avoid the responsibility for employees working on their grounds, if it is so sensitive socially.

Dink points out in a board discussion:

work at IKEA is not mandatory

On Wykop (a Polish version of Digg.com), crea says [POL]:

I must say it's not a good situation…but it's a corporation, so it will be difficult to win with them..

Przemek postshis opinion on an HR portal:

As I understand, Mr Roman and his company do understand the amount of brand damage they are causing… But it's not the scale of brand damage which requires serious treatment of similar cases. I will watch with interest how this case develops, mainly in the social media.

This action conduced mainly via social media channels with usage of both visual and textual content grows in followers on Twitter, Facebook and in views on YouTube, as well as in numbers of votes on the main site. Representatives of Global Union from Sweden, USA, Italy, Ireland, Holland and other countries have expressed their concerns about the case of the Polish employees in a document published on Facebook. After four weeks since the original incident, both companies remain silent.

Around 50 people gathered for Barcamp Transparency at the Oxford University Club last Sunday to discuss issues of transparency in open government, social media and cyberactivism. As mentioned earlier, Global Voices was one of the media sponsors of the event.

The day began with breakfast at 10 AM and the sessions were live-tweeted by attendees:

Lunch provided everyone with an opportunity to discuss the sessions and network around their ideas and projects. In the afternoon there were three more rounds of one-hour sessions.

There was also a session dedicated to Global Voices work, which resulted in new fans:

After the final session we packed our Google goodie bags, food and laptops, and moved down to the bar for a drink.

Barcamp Transparency was only the beginning of a discussion about open government, social media, and cyberactivism ethics. The conversation remains on Twitter and on FriendFeed (do also check the discussions from our Friday virtual event). The organisers hope to repeat the event in Oxford next year, as well as travel to Italy, Spain and Poland in the Spring.

If you are interested in photos, tweets and posts from the event and projects presented and developed there, look for #bct09 hashtag online.

Polish blogosphere had an interesting day today due to the conflict between shopkeepers of Kupiecki Dom Towarowy - a shopping complex in the center of Warsaw  - and the police. Shopkeepers locked themselves in the complex, throwing stones and other items at police officers. In response, the police used gas and entered the building, arresting those who were inside. Today's events were a result of long-term negotiations between the city council planning to demolish the area where the shopping stands are located and the shopkeepers themselves.

Both Twitter and its Polish ‘relative' Blip.pl are still buzzing with opinions hashtagged with #KDT now. However, during the day conversations where happening mainly on Blip.pl, feeding information constantly and updating readers on how the conflict was evolving. Blip.pl users shared news updates, videos and photos. While delivering information from the site of the ‘battle' (this is how bloggers and the Polish media call it), users expressed their opinions on the event.

pksiazek:#kdt Do the police have some special training on how to cope with verbal abuse? I really admire them for just standing there peacefully.

mystiquee:#kdt [CD] who cannot be chased away since x years from the center of our capital. it's insane! they had hundreds of alternative solutions - but they just sat there and waited

Shulmeister: When nurses demonstrated in URM in 2007 the whole Poland supported them, including leaders. Today those spit on shop owners protecting their workplace.

Bloggers responded even during the events, sharing links to their posts on Blip.pl, like for instance wesolyterrorista, who wrote:

A skoro nie można wziąć ich głodem, to może sposobem? Odciąć prąd, wodę, otoczyć kordonem - i jedynie wypuszczać ludzi z KDT, nie wpuszczając nikogo do środka. Wreszcie się poddadzą…a za kilkudniową akcję policji i ochrony obarczyć kosztami kupców. Przecież takie sobiepaństwo i łamanie prawa “bo tak!” nie powinno być finansowane z naszych podatków…niestety, w sprawę zaangażowała się policja, a to oznacza, że każdy - od Szczecina po Rzeszów - płaci za tę szopkę.

One of the main blog engines, blox.pl, aggregated posts on the events simply by proposing a contest for the best entry and sharing the results. One of the winners, spekulacje, posted updates on the developments of the day, positioning it as a farce. Another blogger, KOZMO1, using poetical, old-fashioned expressions wrote a short satirical entry on the typical Polish behaviour, finishing it with these words:

A tam puka? A to Polska właśnie.

Gladys_g was upset that the shopkeepers behaved irresponsibly by having a child with them:

Ci ‘uczciwi kupcy' wykorzystują własne dzieci jako małe żywe tarcze, wystarczy najdrobniejsze skaleczenie malucha, a cała Polska usłyszy, że podły komornik (wykonujący zresztą swoja pracę) i policja (również w pracy) brutalnie pobili dziecko.

Ale co to dziecko w ogóle tam robi?

Szczerze mówiąc - rodzice tych dzieci powinni mieć postawione zarzuty narażania ich na niebezpieczeństwo.

City council published all the documents related to the case online, so the citizens could make their own judgment. And they do express their opinions on blogs, the microblogging platforms mentioned above, forums and Wykop - a link-aggregating site - and by posting photos. The discussion continues, slowly shifting to how the media presented the event, as well as on how the authorities, the presidentand the police responded.

This poster appeared at the end of April in several public places in Zielona Gora, as Gazeta.pl reports. The poster contains photo of Adolf Hitler and text: “Hitler was first to introduce legal abortion in Poland. - The right to choose is not freedom, but extermination of the innocent. For feminists killed children are stats, for us a tragedy.” There is also a photo of a fetus and another slogan, “Abortion is a murder,” in red letters, with Falanga website URL at the bottom.

Action was initiated by Falanga neo-Nazi organization originally to protest against abortion, however representatives of Falanga organization do not deny the posters serve propaganda purposes and hope to help recruit new members.

First reactions, just on the same site's forum, are quite strong. Adkalin remarks [PL]:

When will we finally get rid of this shit?

Junkier agrees with the content of the flyer [PL]:

Every form of fight with abortion, which is nothing else than murder, and with feminism, sick left-wing ideology of decay of society, luckily in Poland pushed back to the margins, deserves warm welcome.

Forum users discuss facts about Hitler's political views, but when it comes to the poster itself, gosc:boso oraz kaczo states [PL]:

‘those posters do not promote Nazi movement, nor Hitler'

Instead they only promote organization of clearly fascist views…

I still hope that there is no place for trash like them (Falanga followers, I mean) in Poland

Matt's point on this one in more general [PL]:

EVERY portrait of Hitler is Nazi propaganda. Not everyone will read and understand the text below it.

Commentators of the action question the facts mentioned on the poster, both here, as well as in other on-line venues. Katolik posts on forum of another daily, Dziennik.pl [PL]:

It's worth reminding that Hitler followers banned abortion related to their race, which they claimed to be superior, but supported abortion of other races, perceived as inferior ones. As a Catholic, I keep a neutral view on this topic, even though Catholic Church strictly bans abortion and calls it murder. As for Falanga, I have seen their deeds. It's a bunch of youngsters who in groups of three can attack a single man. They do not shine with their intellect, courage, nor with moral values.

On the forum of local magazine Gazeta Lubuska, ~nn~ expresses his opinion about the action [PL]:

This is actually quite funny, because I associate those bold boys with followers of the sir on the picture… As for the content, it is at least harming - what about the theory of state of protection, what about dreams of a house with a garden for each German - at least in Ukraine… There you go… one-sided and narrow-minded. Take care Adi, history will appreciate you once…

A “BarCamp” is a meeting format where networks of people organize a public event using the internet, collaborating openly on the agenda. The idea for BarCamp Transparency arose in April during a session at BarCamp Apache Oxford on cyberactivism that demonstrated substantial interest from attendees in discussing everything related to privacy online.

Orwellian?

The U.K. may not be famous for its lack of privacy or freedom of expression, but readers of news articles about the government's new surveillance plans have left numerous concerned comments in online forums.

A BBC News article by Dominic Cascani is the subject of discussion on the RichardDawkins.net website.

Widecora from the UK, posts in response to the article:

What if I don't care if I get blown up by a terrorist? Can I have my privacy back, please?

Ficklefiend from Scotland, agrees:

WTF? p.s- exactly how many murderers do they estimate send the details of their exploits via email?

On Livejournal, a newspaper article from The Independent also receives many responses, including one from Mannygoldstein who thinks the reference to terrorism disingenuous:

Are things not now grotesquely out of proportion? There are many threats to the safety and security of the UK and its citizens but they cover a whole gamut of items including road accidents, swine flu and lightning! How many deaths and injuries have resulted from terrorism and how many resources have been spent on 'security' to protect the public from such a threat?

Spreading the word

Derryquinn has created a video on YouTube against government surveillance and censorship and writes: “Please spread this video around, refuse censorship of the web. Send this message to your local councillors, whatever country you are in. Tell them you will not stand for orwellian monitoring of the internet.”

Bloggers have also reacted.

Richard at How This Old Brit Sees It… thinks the new idea is insane:

Bloody brilliant, eh? That'll teach the bad guys, eh? That'll stop ‘em, eh? That'll certainly make us all a lot safer, eh?

Since the baddies won't be reading & hearing what everyone else now is, eh? So they won't increasingly simply start switching back to using all sorts of ‘good old fashioned' low-tech stuff for their secretive plotting & planning, eh?

Nawh! Never!

Not!

On Twitter @lostmoya started a discussion linking to a BBC article, and received support from a fellow follower, @4TMSocialMedia:

@lostmoya I agree. Internet monitoring, CCTV cameras with microphones, anti-terror laws used against civilians. Orwell's 1984 has arrived.

… and thoughtful consideration from @glynmoody:

@lostmoya well, that might just take a long time to get round to doing things, hoping the next election supervenes

Reactions to the announcement will provide a basis for face-to-face discussion on this and other topics related to privacy in the UK and worldwide during Barcamp Transparency.

Rising Voices El Oso decided to dedicate his time to Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul: Memories and the City placing the author in the context it was written:

In 2005 a criminal case was opened against Pamuk in Turkey for statements he made in a Swiss magazine about the alleged Turkish massacres of Kurds and Armenians. Pamuk’s case was taken up by fellow writers advocating for freedom of speech and, more controversially, became a litmus test for Turkey’s entrance into the European Union.

Karlo Mikhail, a blogger from the Philippines took time picking the right title, and in the end chose something easily available:

I finally found something for the Global Voices Book Challenge: Torgny Lindgren’s The Way of a Serpent. There are so many countries whose literatures I have never been acquainted before. But this Swedish novella in translation is the only one already at hand.  Bought it very cheap late last year along with something by Heidegger (which I gave away knowing I won’t be needing it yet anytime soon).

Edi, a blogger that defines herself as “an African American school librarian in Indianapolis” describes her book choice this way:

My selection will be perfect for April: Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse is the story of native Aleutians who are relocated during WWII when the Japanese invaded the islands. The story is told in the voice of a young girl and written in poem form.

This week marks the final week of the challenge, so you still have time to join us! And just to tempt you a little bit more we present a few more of our reading adventures.

Jad posted about The Angel of Grozny by Asne Seierstad coming to an interesting conclusion:

I have always been interested in Chechnya and Albania because not having a Holy Land doesn’t mean they should be ignored and never receive support.
I’m not into novels nor literature in general but I kept gazing the book and going through its pages for some good time, I was not sure if I wanted to invest any more in a novel (it’s not a novel but the border between her journalistic facts and her novelistic style is very imperceptible) I don’t enjoy novels, I never did but my friend insisted on buying it and she did.
I borrowed the book later and starting reading it and after couple of chapters I started to believe that the best way to share a documented journalistic facts would be in a novel form.

The Book of Sand by Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges and chosen for the challenge by Malagasy blogger Lova Rakotomalala proved to be extremely relevant to current reality of Madagascar:

As Madagascar tries to find an exit to its political dead end, such assessment of the true representation of a group is hitting very close to home for me at this time. No entity can ever claim that it represents perfectly a population. However, a group has to agree on a set of rules to live by and tolerate each other. When those agreements are rendered meaningless for whatever reasons, the opus of the members (like the collection of classic books initiative) usually ends in ashes.
Even though, this particular story brought me back to the crisis back home, I welcomed the rest of the short stories as an escape to the accrued violence there for the past few days.’

Niranjana, an Indian blogger in Canada read ‘Paradise Reclaimed’ written by Halldor Laxness however results in feeling of disappointment.  This Icelandic piece of literature picked up from the shelf turned out to be a hard read:

I also think much of my inability to relate to this book stems from my ignorance of Icelandic folklore–I can tell I’m  missing all sort of references to myths and historical events that would have made this book a much richer read.  This omission is of course entirely my fault (I should  have hunted out the Cliffs Notes), but if I had read something about Iceland, I couldn’t have chosen this book for the challenge.  Anyway, the overall feeling was rather like reading Beckham’s autobiography without ever having seen the man kick a ball.  Not satisfactory.’

Fay Sheco, who chose Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong  is satisfied both with the book, as well as with the challenge itself:

In the early days of this blog I tried a few book challenges and found them constricting; this one-off book challenge suits my current way of reading and blogging, and I look forward to reading the other challenge-generated blog posts, which are to be tagged #gvbook09 for easy searching.’

For some of us the book challenge results in need of meeting the author himself. Senor Pablo for instance decided to read  The Islamist by Ed Hussain and hopes to meet the writer soon:

Come September Eleven and suddenly the world changed. Another question that cropped up was the differences in the way Muslims interpret Islam. I could not understand the need for fundamentalism, although it does exist in most religions. This book will explain it all and that is why I think it is a good read if you want to know a Muslim's experience in joining a fundamentalist group and left. It answered the many questions that I wanted answered. :)

I just heard that Ed Hussain is heading this region soon. I would love the opportunity to meet the author in person!

Bahraini blogger Bint Batutta describes the story of a book about the nuclear reactor disaster of Chernobyl (Memories of a Meltdown by Mohamed Makhzangi ) together with the circumstances of the event:

And what of the site of the nuclear reactor today? It is enclosed in a large concrete sarcophagus, and there is a thirty-kilometre Exclusion Zone around Chernobyl where officially nobody is allowed to live - but there are homeless men and women who do. See this photo essay called Chernobyl Stalkers.

There is still much more out there, so if you are interested in the results, look for posts tagged with #gvbook09.
The challenge is still on, so pick up a book, read it and let us know what you think of it! Do not forget to tag your posts or leave a comment on our site, so we can share your experience.

(Image source: Ateizm na wesoło)

The chief editor Gabriela Szulik, when confronted (POL) with the fact, responded:

It’s a mistake, an unfortunate one. We had no intention to offend anyone, because we are not racist. The thought that this can carry racist meaning does not even enter my mind; I simply have no associations of the kind.

Later on, she responded to allegations of racism with a promise of an online statement, also referring to the company's involvement in charity work in Rwanda and their article about Zambia.

Online reactions vary. Some discussion board users, like maczimo (POL), agree with Gabriela Szulik:

Only a complete idiot can say that we are dealing with racism.

Others - like lucenty (POL) – stay supportive and objective:

I am also convinced it was a mistake. Someone who does not think in terms of prejudice can be careless to ‘pronounce’ this pseudo racist sentence. I am far from the sick view on every single statement like that and seeing bad intentions. We, Poles, are not really so bad!

Still others express rather cynical (POL) thoughts on the issue:

It’s not that I am anti-Catholic, but the whole situation, mainly in the context of the Church, is slightly ridiculous. […] ;-)

One of the Polish London-based bloggers writes (POL):

[…] This Sunday we will pray for [the 15 black children out of the total of 26 in the blogger's child’s school group]. So passionately, so Polish-way. Will it help? […]

The majority of commentators on discussion boards find the flyer highly racist. Mecz-k (POL) said on Gazeta.pl Forum:

Oh, yes, Polish Catholicism is a religion of hate and despise. Pity that there is nothing left of Jesus preaching. Now we have Father Rydzyk [a very controversial leader of the Catholic Radio] preaching… Shame, shame really.

Jww commented on a post about the issue on this blog (POL):

I am not surprised by the content and the level of the flyer. I know more examples of that type or even worst acts of ‘tolerance’ and ‘freedom of speech’ within the church, sadly most of them stay away from political scandal similar to the one about the flyer.

One of the parents involved in the incident happens to be an outspoken blogger. After describing (POL) the day when the child came home with the flyer, she wrote:

I confiscated the flyer discreetly, but there is no way to cheat on my son: Mom, why did you hide the flyer in the pocket? Did you dislike it for some reason? Is there something wrong with it? This text is bizarre, isn’t?

Yes, a little bit. After one hour of serious thinking whether I am overreacting and consultations with Kuba’s parents: do you also agree that someone was thoughtless? Do you see it too? I am calling the parish office:

Dear Father, I understand you meant no harm, but this joke is tasteless, since all kids take such messages seriously, they do not see the intentions behind them; and you can see here clearly: the black baby regrets having dark skin, meaning being black is the worst…

I do understand where you’re coming from, but I believe the priests who ordered those pictures aimed to stress Christian values, the message of the Holy Bible…

Dear Father, you can be a Catholic and not a racist, you cannot promote messages of the kind, especially amongst children, for whom the Church sets example…

The discussion continues. On Wykop.pl, a Polish version of Digg bookmarking site, an article on this topic is on the main state category and has generated over 100 comments and gained 783 ratings so far.

Obama's victory was predicted and popularized in the social media, like in this YouTube interview (POL) with journalist Bartosz Węglarczyk, who shortly after the end of the campaign was strongly convinced about Obama's success. However, the enthusiastic welcome given to the winner has actually impressed Polish bloggers.

Marcin Gadzinski, the author of Biały Domek ('White House') blog on the U.S.-related issues, published a post titled ‘Thank you America,' reflecting the American happiness of the day (POL):

[…] And did you see those people in Grant Park in Chicago today?

And did you see the Black American guy with baby face and big ears, who was standing on the stage?
His father was from Kenya. His mother came from a village in Kansas. Today their son is the president of the most powerful country in the world.

The whole world watched it. And every one felt the unique American energy. Like the euphoria and pride after the landing on the moon. Like the grief after the Kennedy assassination. Like the fear and later the solidarity after 9/11. Big American emotions, like tsunami, flooding the world. […]

Because America chose Obama for their president today and they are proud of themselves. They should be. The whole world was keeping an eye on them all the way. Again.

Marcin is right stating that the Polish media was watching the elections. A leading radio station RMF FM created a portal. News station TVN24, famous for promoting news coverage with wide range of opinions, is still posting on the topic, including videos from Chicago. 10,386 people from Poland (based on IP addresses, not nationality) voted on ‘If the world could vote?‘ international website. Gazeta posted today more details of the voting, reporting that mainly younger generations and minorities contributed to the victory.

Blogger Paweł Adamiec, author of USA 2008 blog devoted to the U.S. elections, flagged up the importance of Obama's victory in the context of the American fight for equality. He praised Obama for his enigmatic personality, wise system of his campaign funding and his ability to appeal to the multicultural electorate. He concluded (POL):

Let me also congratulate the American citizens, who with the high percentage of votes proved how developed the American democracy is.

Simultaneously, Polish politicians started questioning Obama's competency. President Kaczyński, in an interview posted here, was seeking more information on the actual changes planned by the new president. Lech Wałęsa questioned the next steps of US presidency as well (POL):

I am worried, because winning is one thing, and actually achieving something with the victory is a different matter.

When talking about a potential shift in U.S. politics towards Poland, SLD party representative Jerzy Wenderlich suggested(POL):

Abolishing visa requirement for Poles would be a good start for the new administration.

On Politbiuro political news portal, user intel-e-gent raised an interesting issue for the Poles - that of the nuclear shield planned to be built on the territory of Poland (POL):

The historical victory of a Black American politician will not have a huge impact on the Poles, I believe. Maybe we will not need to build the shield.

Earlier this year, Obama, when asked about it, left the question open.

Bloggers like Jarosław Flis, Władysław Sidorowicz, Artur Zawisza and many others shared their views on the election in the Polish political context. People also shared comments on forums at Gazeta and TVN24. Goldenwoman01 wrote (POL):

In Poland, we cannot even see on the horizon a similar personality.

Regardless of what Obama chooses to do next, he is the man of the day in the Polish social media.

As of now, Nasz-parlament.pl has 636 members, and despite the fact that the first administrator joined the site at the end of April, it became popular only last month, with its 128 threads and 722 posts.

Apart form a discussion space, the portal provides insights into the currently discussed laws. Today, for example, one of the hot topics (POL) is a discussion of the new law on torture in special situations. According to Polish news site Dziennik.pl (POL), if the law is actually introduced, Poland will still have no right to torture at home, but will be able to exercise the right to stop terror suspects and “transfer them to countries like Egypt, where torture might be used.”

This piece of news has generated rather harsh comments on Dziennik.pl's forum. User Bożena, for example, is worried (POL):

I think it's time to deprive humanity of the basic freedoms using a dishonest excuse of terrorism. We've never had any terrorist attacks in Poland. God save us from the lies ruling the West, where people are losing their rights and freedom after every said-to-be terrorist attack.

Apart from linking to the current media stories, the Nasz-parlament.pl portal also gives space to politicians themselves to express their opinions and to specialists to share their reports relevant to current laws. (Here, for example, is more info on the consequences of a proposed act on earlier retirement.) All the current parliament members have their own sites on the portal.

As most other start-up portals, this one is looking for a sponsor, according to internetowo.eu blog (POL):

[…] Nasz-Parlament.pl is planning to live off ads or to find a sponsor in the future. […]

Like in any other social networks, users can create their profiles, use groups and forums, contact local representatives, and engage in discussion on-line.

And - let's not forget about the most important role of e-members of the parliament - voting! Nasz-Parlament.pl users can vote, and vote, and vote!

UPDATE: A reader has asked whether the site is available in English, but the answer is ‘no' - Nasz-Parlament.pl is currently available only in Polish.

Now, a Polish news site Gazeta.pl is posting an article (POL) about the challenges facing the authorities in that matter. Police struggle with identifying the sources and lowering the actual sales on those markets - but not because of some attractive prizes: very often producers of original software or publications encourage illegal sales to promote the brand/product and to force users to turn to the original producers for upgrades, follow-ups, enhancements. The article in Gazeta.pl has generated a huge discussion on its forums.

One of the Gazeta Forum users, Pawel, mentions (POL) that the problem is even more complex, since software can also be illegally downloaded from the Internet:

[…] Let me invite you to the market in Wroclaw on Sunday - I am standing just opposite those pirates who just stand there ‘with no shame' and once police arrive, they are all gone, since everyone knew the police were coming. Nothing ever changes. And all those films, games, etc. can be downloaded from the web and burned on DVD. […]

Another person, fixumdyrdum2, is convinced (POL) that illegal copies from the market are much better than the purchased ones:

[…] Buying software results in software which is just as illegal as the [pirate copy], but with more difficult update options. I can easily buy a pirate copy after the software update, with the next [Service Pack]. […]

User p24 seems to touch upon (POL) the real reason for illegal software downloads - high prices:

I would regret spending 20PLZ on a program from the market and I wouldn't feel like walking there if I can download it for free from the web anytime. Maybe you cannot get everything, but quite a lot. This war cannot be won by police. Maybe only some battles. Unless the prices go down.

Let's not forget, as homo_googleticus mentions (POL), that we are talking about illegal behaviour here:

[…] As far as I can see, no one is calling a ‘pirate' a THIEF and illegal sales STEALING. It becomes quite clear in the light of comments to this article. […]

RT-bloguje posted an insightful blog post (POL) on the topic where the conclusion is the same - if the price of the products were affordable, people would actually prefer original copies:

[…] Personally, I would be more than happy right now to pay for downloading films, music or books from the web if the form of payment were friendly and the prices not too high. If I could, for instance, receive films attached to magazines for an amount similar to the magazine price (or maybe even lower). Of course, I would pay more for a newer release. […]

Is it achievable? Time will show.