I've never responded to an MSP post. I'm not concerned with their business practices or who they've fucked to get to where they are. I really don't give a shit about their films, or ski films in general for that matter.
What is so disturbing about this issue is the underlying poor morals of creative artistry here. There are a lot of unwritten rules in life, one of the fundamental understood rules of a visual artist is that you do not STEAL the creativity and intellectual property of another individual. EVEN IF IT'S A TUTORIAL.
It's ok to use a tutorial to your benefit. I don't know a graphic artist, editor, compositor, camera operator or director who hasn't emulated the work of another in order to learn. The issue is that it is a moral and ethical violation to sell these imitations as your own. Especially in a broadcast, or sale for profit environment.
If I saw the same thing from another company it would be every bit as disguisting to me. For everyone out there who thinks that this isn't a big deal, get a grip. This is how many of us make our living, it may not matter to you but it REALLY FUCKING MATTERS TO ME. If this were a painting, it would be a serious offense to pass off an imitation as an original.
Having some elements be similar in content is one thing (such as the glock as an "L"), to simply open a project in which someone else has done the work and just change only the text and then pass it off as an original composition is a reprehensible practice. If you are not offended by it then so be it. Maybe someday someone will steal something from you and you will see how it feels. The fact is that when someone commits a violation of this sort, the least that should happen is that they should be called out to their peers and their customer base for what they are.
