My opinion is that people should make their own choices. If it were me I'd try to buy the DVDs, but I'd also pirate the DVDs I had bought (for a backup) and I'd consider pirating the DVDs that are not available to purchase.
But the industry has different ideas, and they are well funded and influential. We see the results of that influence in international copyright agreements and laws like DCMA.
See for example the Japanese games that have "NO RE-SALE" printed on the back of the box. Japanese publishers pushed pretty hard to make second-hand sales of games illegal. (I don't think that succeeded). It is (or was?) illegal to rent games in Japan.
In the face of this kind of vigorous assertion of rights of IP holders it's can be difficult to stick rigidly to the law.
I just don't get it. If some film is unavailable in some region, piracy in that region has no conceivable impact on sales. And so how can there be any damages? Do you argue that piracy notwithstanding, people would be migrating to places with better licensing deals?
In this region: Movies are not available legally, and so people pirate them. When those people come to HN to say why they pirate movies other people say "just buy the DVD", or "just go without".
"Just buy the DVD" doesn't work for the reasons given; just go without is dumb for the reasons you give.
I don't think I'm arguing for the position you think I'm arguing for.
> If some film is unavailable in some region, piracy in that region has no conceivable impact on sales.
This is definitely not true. Piracy in that region builds up a support infrastructure for piracy that can be used in other regions. It builds social support for piracy, and can spread, as a cultural practice, when people from the afflicted region converse with people from other regions. All of those things can impact sales outside the region.
That's rather tenuous. It's also arguable that piracy in such regions helps popularize a film, through reviews social media, etc. And so it would increase sales elsewhere.
And there's a simple solution: Make sure that your stuff is available legally everywhere. Because if it's not, you know that it will be pirated.
But the industry has different ideas, and they are well funded and influential. We see the results of that influence in international copyright agreements and laws like DCMA.
See for example the Japanese games that have "NO RE-SALE" printed on the back of the box. Japanese publishers pushed pretty hard to make second-hand sales of games illegal. (I don't think that succeeded). It is (or was?) illegal to rent games in Japan.
In the face of this kind of vigorous assertion of rights of IP holders it's can be difficult to stick rigidly to the law.