Sep 26 2005
File Sharing Is Not Illegal
It seems that International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) is stepping up its efforts to prevent people advancing internet technologies. In their latest move the IFPI has released a piece of software called Digital File Check which scans a users computer and deletes any copies of file-sharing (BitTorrent, Kazaa, Limewire, etc.) that it finds.
Their reasons for doing this is because (I’m making assumptions here as they haven’t responded to my email) they believe that file-sharing software can only be used to share illegal pirated music, software and films.
Whilst the idea is, in principle, quite simple: “No sharing software – no pirating”, they really couldn’t be further from the truth. There are several points which they have missed, which they really should think about:
- File sharing is not just about priating music/films. There is a vast range of material out there which is not copyrighted.
- Any internet protocol can be used for transfering pirated material: email, http, ftp, gopher, etc. Therefore Digital File Check will not stop pirating.
- If the artists are concerned that pirating means they’ll get less money then they should seriously think about the share of the pie that the record company executives are taking.
There really is no point in the record & film industries telling people you can’t do this and you can’t do that with out giving a viable alternative as to what they CAN do. One way in which, I think, the record industry could receive a pat on the back is if they were to produce their own file sharing software. The software would have to be as fast and efficient as other software out there, it would have to be able to restrict pirated material whilst also allowing non-copyrighted material to pass unhindered.
One thing that I thought would have become fairly obvious to the record & film industries is that technology is not going to stand still. We are now firmly entering the information age and one of the basic pricipals is the free flowing of information… digital information. People are willing and capable of developing methods of shifting data. If one method of shifting data gets blocked you can bet that another, more efficient method is just around the corner.
“There is a vast range of material out there which is not copyrighted.”
Bittorrent really comes into it’s own when downloading free, opensource Linux Distros.
I get really frustrated with the activities of these large corporations that don’t actually change anything substantial in the world but merely annoy and alienate people in the attempt to control everything. They realy ought to chill out and try living in this century rather than trying to maintain the profits of the 80’s… the world changes so move with it… dictators always fall, the bad guys always fall… idiots that dont move with the times just get forgotten!!! This is a 2-bottle-of-wine-comment that probably makes no sense but still stirred some healthy negative emotions!
Mr Madsen on Little Gamers has an interesting take on Peer-to-peer file sharing today… and the comic is kinda funny.
http://www.little-gamers.com/index.php?comicID=1210
These artists pay to produce albums, pay to market them, pay to distribute them. The Record labels get money, Hastings, WalMart, etc., get their money, and the artists get their money. THEIR money comes from us – it is OUR money; we, the consumers drive the whole machine. We now have the power in hand to do away with the corporate labels, the corporate marketers, and the corporate vendors (who ALL have their hands in the pot, and thus, stand to lose out on revenue, even their existence).
Done correctly, the artists could actually make MORE money with P2P – if they do away with the old school way of distributing their media. Do away with ALL the middle men i.e., labels, retailer/vendors. All those shelves of CDs and DVDs serve only one purpose — to make money for those middle men. Artists need only to create, then release (and yes, sell) to us, the consumers DIRECTLY through P2P. It’s a WIN-WIN situation. The artists make more money (and have a enormously greater, worldwide customer base, instantly), AND we save money — by not paying the middle man.
How’s the saying go? “out with the old, in with the new.”
We are in a NEW age, why do things the OLD way?
— Pirating is ultimately the result of the artists’ obvious neglect to get with the program and seize the power of the technologies we all now have at our disposal. But we the consumers are the ones with the power to MAKE it happen, TOGETHER we can stop this B.S. nonsense and STRIP the IFPI of it’s power altogether. What, are they going to do? Prosecute the global populous?! ridiculous
this is obviously an opinion article.
file sharing is not only about pirating, it’s just MOSTLY about pirating.
DFC will cut back on most of the pirating, because P2P is the best pirating method.
artists don’t really care about their pay. it’s the executives that are really losing money here.
the only time P2P is ethical is when downloading the beatles or AC/DC songs, who are just being too stubborn to put their stuff on iTunes.