Law-breakers unite!!! (Napster - Should Music Be Free To Share?)

Name: chrispitts

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Product:	Napster - Should Music Be Free To Share?
Date:	22/07/02 (299 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free music, Free movies, Free games

Disadvantages: Illegal, Needs a little technical knowhow

Those of us of a certain age (pre-CD) will remember the joy of getting a two-deck tape recorder, so we could copy our friend's tape collection. More youthful DooYooers will probably fondly remember their first CD burner, so they could copy their mates' CDs.

And really, when it comes down to it, that's all Napster (RIP) and the other file-sharing programs enable their users to do. Why restrict yourself to your best friends poxy collection of early 90s grunge CDs, when you can access the rare, live, unreleased material which you'd normally pay well over the odds for in a decent record store?

In fact, why buy CDs at all, ever? Because by hunting around on file sharing programs, you are guaranteed to find the latest releases, in good quality, often before the official release date.

And why stop there? While you're at it, why not download the latest movies? Minority Report due for release in British Cinemas soon. Who cares, download it from the internet 2 weeks earlier. (OK, best with a fast internet connection, otherwise it still won't have downloaded by the cinema opening!)

Want more? Sure, just download some games. Hey, who needs the CDs, some kind soul has just cracked them, so you can play them without. The very latest releases too - Medal of Honor, Zoo Tycoon, The Sims... you name it, we've got it for you.

Now, I'm not going to say which file sharing programs I use, or what I've managed to download, but lets just say I've found uses for file sharing.

So how does it actually work?

Well, like I said, it's like swapping CDs with your mates, but on a much bigger scale. There are 2 main types of file sharing - peer to peer, and central hub. In central hub sharing, you never know who you're downloading from. You agree to share some of your files (ie put your CDs in the middle of a huge room), loads of people do the same, and then you search through the huge p
ile of CDs in the middle of the room for the one you want, and copy it. Sort of.

In peer to peer, you actually form a direct connection with someone else's computer, and download from them. Again, most programs include extensive search engines to help you find the files and the user you want.

So what's the big problem then?

Well, it's... um... a bit... illegal. I'm sure none of us would opt to stray from the straight and narrow, but, in all honesty, file sharing is, strictly speaking, promoting the illegal copying of copyrighted material. The legal disclaimers usually state you can only download a file you already legally own in another format, but even that is open to debate. (ie, theoretically, you shouldn't back up your CDs onto your computer or onto tape for the car stereo...)

The thing is, in my view, it depends what you use it for...

I've bought CDs purely on the basis that I've liked tracks I've downloaded. I wouldn't have listened to them otherwise, and I wouldn't have bought the CD. So, in that sense, file sharing is actually bringing more income into the music industry, not less. But, I admit, on some occasions, I've downloaded entire albums, including the cover artwork and CD labels (from a different website), and "made" an exact copy. Wrong I know. Illegal I know, but sometimes the temptation is there.

What I do object to, and chances are many of you will have come across it, is people making these copies, and selling them to friends/colleagues/relatives for profit. To me, that's taking the illegal bit a little too far, and to be honest, if they get caught, they deserve everything they get.

Which leads me nicely onto the next bit...

As you all know, Napster was famously closed down, due to pressure from the music industry, (in particular, a certain drummer from Metallica...) Some of you will also be aware of the similar shut-
down of AudioGalaxy, another well known file sharing program.
These sites are easy to target, because they rely on the "central hub" I mentioned earlier, giving the prosecutors something tangible to attack. The more recent, (and now much more successful) file sharing programs use the peer to peer (P2P) mechanism, meaning there is no central server to "blame".

So how can this file sharing be stopped?

Simple answer, it probably can't. One way would be to make CDs more affordable, but that's a simplistic approach, and more factors need to be taken into consideration. The main issue is that "file sharing" has gone on in different forms for many years, and always will. Why did tape manufacturers sell blank cassettes? Most were used for copying. They must have known that. The programmers who come up with these file sharing programs know what they are doing, and they have the technical and legal knowhow to stay one step ahead of the law. Napster fell foul, then AudioGalaxy followed. More will close in the near future, but file sharing will continue for a good few years yet.

You're breaking the law... how can you live with yourself?

OK, so I've admitted to the odd bit of CD copying (non-profit, obviously). But one of the potential problems with file sharing is that it could, possibly, drag you into deeper and darker realms. As I mentioned, you can now download the latest cinema releases, and the latest computer games. Not to mention the all-encompassing pornography. Gradually, without even noticing, you become more technically aware. You work out how to turn a DivX format movie into a Video CD which will play on most DVD players. You work out where to find key codes, serial numbers and no-CD cracks for computer games... where does it end?! Sooner or later, you'll be hacking the Pentagon and starting World War III.

But let's be sensible for a minute. You get what you w
ant out of any experience. If you get offered a product which you suspect has fallen off the back of a lorry, you either take the risk and buy it, or you don't. Similarly with File Sharing. We all know what we're doing. Do you take the risk? Or could it be that "Spiderman - the movie.avi" is actually a nasty virus which will crash your entire computer? It's a risk.

In Summary:
(At Last!!!)

Yes, file sharing is breaking the law, but how can the law possibly compete with that - it's like them breaking into every house where friends copy each others CDs. Daft. But users have to be aware of what they are doing, and if they want to take the risks, accept the possible consequences.

Summary: