- Sep 3, 2003
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(Taken from the www.wowhits.com website FAQS page at the bottom)
Illegal File Sharing
Is illegal file sharing really such a problem?
For the past four years, sales and shipments of recorded music have been plummeting - and the downward trend shows no sign of abating. At the same time, sales of blank CD-R disks (the kind you copy music onto) have been soaring, and that dovetailed with the widespread illegal use of file-sharing. So, yes, it really is a problem.
Who says that unauthorized sharing of music through peer-to-peer networks is illegal?
Federal law and a string of court decisions. Federal copyright statutes (specifically, Sections 501 and 506 of Title 17 of the United States Code) and the "No Electronic Theft" (NET) Act provide penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, rental or digital transmission of copyrighted sound recordings. Moreover, an unbroken series of court decisions - most recently, in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., et al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al., and in RIAA v. Verizon Internet Services Inc. - has affirmed that "sharing" copyrighted music files over peer-to-peer networks without the copyright holder's permission constitutes "direct infringement."
Aren't most downloaders merely sampling music that they later wind up buying?
If this were true, music sales would be soaring, given the astronomical increases in peer-to-peer file sharing. Music consumption has never been higher, but unfortunately, an increasing segment of the population is stealing instead of paying for it.
Don't people have a right to make copies of their CDs?
It depends on the circumstances. Certainly, consumers may be able to make a limited number of copies for their own personal use. But no one has the right to offer to distribute copyrighted music to millions of people through online peer-to-peer networks without the copyright holder's permission.
Why should I pay for music from an authorized site when I can download it for free from a peer-to-peer network?
Unauthorized downloading is just as illegal as shoplifting, and it is every bit as wrong. Not only does it rob recording artists and songwriters of their livelihoods - and threaten the jobs of tens of thousands of less celebrated people in the music industry, from engineers and technicians to warehouse workers and record store clerks - it also undermines the future of music by depriving the industry of the resources it needs to find and develop new talent. What's more, when you download from an authorized site, you can be sure of getting a complete recording of the highest quality.
Tell me what you all think
Illegal File Sharing
Is illegal file sharing really such a problem?
For the past four years, sales and shipments of recorded music have been plummeting - and the downward trend shows no sign of abating. At the same time, sales of blank CD-R disks (the kind you copy music onto) have been soaring, and that dovetailed with the widespread illegal use of file-sharing. So, yes, it really is a problem.
Who says that unauthorized sharing of music through peer-to-peer networks is illegal?
Federal law and a string of court decisions. Federal copyright statutes (specifically, Sections 501 and 506 of Title 17 of the United States Code) and the "No Electronic Theft" (NET) Act provide penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, rental or digital transmission of copyrighted sound recordings. Moreover, an unbroken series of court decisions - most recently, in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., et al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al., and in RIAA v. Verizon Internet Services Inc. - has affirmed that "sharing" copyrighted music files over peer-to-peer networks without the copyright holder's permission constitutes "direct infringement."
Aren't most downloaders merely sampling music that they later wind up buying?
If this were true, music sales would be soaring, given the astronomical increases in peer-to-peer file sharing. Music consumption has never been higher, but unfortunately, an increasing segment of the population is stealing instead of paying for it.
Don't people have a right to make copies of their CDs?
It depends on the circumstances. Certainly, consumers may be able to make a limited number of copies for their own personal use. But no one has the right to offer to distribute copyrighted music to millions of people through online peer-to-peer networks without the copyright holder's permission.
Why should I pay for music from an authorized site when I can download it for free from a peer-to-peer network?
Unauthorized downloading is just as illegal as shoplifting, and it is every bit as wrong. Not only does it rob recording artists and songwriters of their livelihoods - and threaten the jobs of tens of thousands of less celebrated people in the music industry, from engineers and technicians to warehouse workers and record store clerks - it also undermines the future of music by depriving the industry of the resources it needs to find and develop new talent. What's more, when you download from an authorized site, you can be sure of getting a complete recording of the highest quality.
Tell me what you all think
