vingoradov
Active Member
I had to do this for a class I had, here:
Save Money By Committing Internet Piracy
Chances are, you have committed an Internet crime at least once in your life! Internet piracy is one of the most common crimes committed on the internet. It is also one of the hardest to track since there is over 6.2 million people surfing Internet piracy websites at any given time, and only a handful of people actually working to stop it (“IFPI”). The consequences for copyright infringement are very high, up to ten years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. But the benefits are even higher, getting any movies and software for free (sometimes before they are even in theaters) is worth the possible risk. Plus avoiding lawsuits and problems with the government is quite easy. The three main points of this article will change the way you view internet piracy. First of all, most people don’t even feel bad about internet piracy, and everyone plans to not care. More importantly, internet piracy can help unpopular artists become more popular by spreading their music through sharing networks. Most importantly, the chances of any one person getting caught is very low, it will be an honor if you do. Copyright infringement has overall, more pro’s then con’s. Although the majority disapprove of it, the point of this piece of writing is to change their mind.
Internet piracy is the act of illegally copying and selling other people’s work (Summers and Gadsby 603). The amount of users logged on to pirate services more then doubled from 3 million in June 2002 to 6.2 million in January 2004. Also, the file sharing industry involves over 800 million illegal music file at any given time(“IFPI”). At this rate of popularity, the government is fighting a losing battle. Even Internet piracy experts say that internet piracy is like a riot that can’t be controlled by the government (Hernandez). The DMCA Policy is the law that prohibits the copying and distributing of copyrighted files. The DMCA Policy also raises the punishment for internet crimes (Torr 58-59). Only 66% of the people surveyed in four European countries knew that file sharing was illegal (“IFPI”). This means that some people are arrested without knowing the crime they committed. If people are not informed about the law, then is it fair for the government to arrest individuals breaking it? A survey showed that 66.67% percent of people agree that Internet piracy has its use and that it would be wrong to arrest people for it (Poll).
First of all, the government is flipping out over virtually nothing! It is ridiculous that the government compares virtually downloading a file to stealing a DVD from a store. The DMCA Policy charges a minimum of seven hundred and fifty dollars a song! That is like buying sixty-two albums at Wal-Mart. In contrast, stealing something from Wal-Mart, like a CD, won’t even get arrested if it is under twenty-five dollars. In addition to that, most people that are downloading the music do not have any money anyway. That’s exactly why people search for free music in the first place. The same type of situation has happened before, and as everybody knows, history repeats itself. When the radio first began broadcasting records instead of live performances the music industry became angry. But in return the radio just attracted more people and promoted their product (Torr 17). If you think about the DMCA is taking the right of the freedom of speech away from people who deserve it. Another law called the Communications Decency Act (CDA) prohibits individuals to transmit “obscene or indecent” material to anyone under the age of eighteen. This includes pirated files, even copyrighted photo’s. Although the law was intended to be used for pornographic material, it was misused against people and later ruled unconstitutional by congress (Marzilli 21-22). Overall, the government is making people pay more for something they do with a click of a mouse then people going into stores and robbing them.
More importantly, Internet piracy helps a lot of people get their fifteen minutes of fame. If it wasn’t for file sharing many of your favorite singers and songwriters wouldn’t be where they are today. Many local and small bands use the power of Internet file sharing to spread their music around to friends and most importantly to fans. Before YouTube was popular, many artists recorded their own tracks and put them on file sharing websites to get recognition. One good example is DJ Xealot, who saw the Internet as an opportunity to become popular. He posted many of his songs on mp3.com, he made little money this way. He found a way to promote his music through Napster (A file sharing network). Although his tracks were offered free, his profits shot up after switching to Napster (Marzilli 48-49). Studies have been done to see if file sharing really has an effect on CD sales. A researched did a study on the effects of file sharing, this is what he has to say "We find that file sharing has only had a limited effect on record sales", the study showed virtually no difference in sales (Borland). File sharing works almost like another marketing tools for albums and software.
Most importantly, even if you commit the “crime” of Internet piracy, there is a very slim chance you will be caught. Although the government has attempted to take down several sites in lawsuits, most prove their innocence (Hernandez). Courts always struggle to convict someone of Internet piracy, mostly because it is hard to make a law for something that is virtual (Marzilli 19). Since the government has little control over the world of file sharing, they usually try to take the easy way out. Legally, the only ones at fault of the crime are the one’s who download the material, that is millions of users. Why not take out two birds with one stone? The DMCA Prosecutors try to do just that by targeting the file sharing network rather then the actual people committing the crime. If they take out the few major websites, they can cut off a big supply of files. If they took out just one person at a time the supply would continue to grow faster then the demand. Currently, the big case of Internet piracy is the lawsuit against thepiratebay.org. The courts decision is expected to be revealed in April 2009. What you need to remember is that these programs are almost impossible to track, so there is no need to worry.
In conclusion, Internet piracy/file sharing is unstoppable, hard to attack, and it’s going mainstream. Soon it will be like the radio we listen to in the car, and make a big impact on our life. File sharing is not evil and shouldn’t be judged by it’s cover. If most people don’t feel guilty about it, then why should you? It can even help you be something your not on the web. To summarize, everybody deserves their opinion about file sharing, maybe you should share yours with someone.
***This is from a few years back but still.
Save Money By Committing Internet Piracy
Chances are, you have committed an Internet crime at least once in your life! Internet piracy is one of the most common crimes committed on the internet. It is also one of the hardest to track since there is over 6.2 million people surfing Internet piracy websites at any given time, and only a handful of people actually working to stop it (“IFPI”). The consequences for copyright infringement are very high, up to ten years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. But the benefits are even higher, getting any movies and software for free (sometimes before they are even in theaters) is worth the possible risk. Plus avoiding lawsuits and problems with the government is quite easy. The three main points of this article will change the way you view internet piracy. First of all, most people don’t even feel bad about internet piracy, and everyone plans to not care. More importantly, internet piracy can help unpopular artists become more popular by spreading their music through sharing networks. Most importantly, the chances of any one person getting caught is very low, it will be an honor if you do. Copyright infringement has overall, more pro’s then con’s. Although the majority disapprove of it, the point of this piece of writing is to change their mind.
Internet piracy is the act of illegally copying and selling other people’s work (Summers and Gadsby 603). The amount of users logged on to pirate services more then doubled from 3 million in June 2002 to 6.2 million in January 2004. Also, the file sharing industry involves over 800 million illegal music file at any given time(“IFPI”). At this rate of popularity, the government is fighting a losing battle. Even Internet piracy experts say that internet piracy is like a riot that can’t be controlled by the government (Hernandez). The DMCA Policy is the law that prohibits the copying and distributing of copyrighted files. The DMCA Policy also raises the punishment for internet crimes (Torr 58-59). Only 66% of the people surveyed in four European countries knew that file sharing was illegal (“IFPI”). This means that some people are arrested without knowing the crime they committed. If people are not informed about the law, then is it fair for the government to arrest individuals breaking it? A survey showed that 66.67% percent of people agree that Internet piracy has its use and that it would be wrong to arrest people for it (Poll).
First of all, the government is flipping out over virtually nothing! It is ridiculous that the government compares virtually downloading a file to stealing a DVD from a store. The DMCA Policy charges a minimum of seven hundred and fifty dollars a song! That is like buying sixty-two albums at Wal-Mart. In contrast, stealing something from Wal-Mart, like a CD, won’t even get arrested if it is under twenty-five dollars. In addition to that, most people that are downloading the music do not have any money anyway. That’s exactly why people search for free music in the first place. The same type of situation has happened before, and as everybody knows, history repeats itself. When the radio first began broadcasting records instead of live performances the music industry became angry. But in return the radio just attracted more people and promoted their product (Torr 17). If you think about the DMCA is taking the right of the freedom of speech away from people who deserve it. Another law called the Communications Decency Act (CDA) prohibits individuals to transmit “obscene or indecent” material to anyone under the age of eighteen. This includes pirated files, even copyrighted photo’s. Although the law was intended to be used for pornographic material, it was misused against people and later ruled unconstitutional by congress (Marzilli 21-22). Overall, the government is making people pay more for something they do with a click of a mouse then people going into stores and robbing them.
More importantly, Internet piracy helps a lot of people get their fifteen minutes of fame. If it wasn’t for file sharing many of your favorite singers and songwriters wouldn’t be where they are today. Many local and small bands use the power of Internet file sharing to spread their music around to friends and most importantly to fans. Before YouTube was popular, many artists recorded their own tracks and put them on file sharing websites to get recognition. One good example is DJ Xealot, who saw the Internet as an opportunity to become popular. He posted many of his songs on mp3.com, he made little money this way. He found a way to promote his music through Napster (A file sharing network). Although his tracks were offered free, his profits shot up after switching to Napster (Marzilli 48-49). Studies have been done to see if file sharing really has an effect on CD sales. A researched did a study on the effects of file sharing, this is what he has to say "We find that file sharing has only had a limited effect on record sales", the study showed virtually no difference in sales (Borland). File sharing works almost like another marketing tools for albums and software.
Most importantly, even if you commit the “crime” of Internet piracy, there is a very slim chance you will be caught. Although the government has attempted to take down several sites in lawsuits, most prove their innocence (Hernandez). Courts always struggle to convict someone of Internet piracy, mostly because it is hard to make a law for something that is virtual (Marzilli 19). Since the government has little control over the world of file sharing, they usually try to take the easy way out. Legally, the only ones at fault of the crime are the one’s who download the material, that is millions of users. Why not take out two birds with one stone? The DMCA Prosecutors try to do just that by targeting the file sharing network rather then the actual people committing the crime. If they take out the few major websites, they can cut off a big supply of files. If they took out just one person at a time the supply would continue to grow faster then the demand. Currently, the big case of Internet piracy is the lawsuit against thepiratebay.org. The courts decision is expected to be revealed in April 2009. What you need to remember is that these programs are almost impossible to track, so there is no need to worry.
In conclusion, Internet piracy/file sharing is unstoppable, hard to attack, and it’s going mainstream. Soon it will be like the radio we listen to in the car, and make a big impact on our life. File sharing is not evil and shouldn’t be judged by it’s cover. If most people don’t feel guilty about it, then why should you? It can even help you be something your not on the web. To summarize, everybody deserves their opinion about file sharing, maybe you should share yours with someone.
***This is from a few years back but still.
(that is what warez is all about...)