Media Procuders and Illegal Downloading

Abstract

In this paper I will attempt to discern the effect that downloading media online has on the content providers as well as media producers. With the recent ban on websites that allow file sharing for free, and the downloading of media such as music, movies, TV shows as well as electronic copies of books, an adverse effect has been felt by the authors, media producers and respective owners of intellectual property. Many have risen against the illegal downloading of their copyrighted work and support the ban wholeheartedly as they consider it criminal. However, there is a vast majority of people who consider this ban ridiculous, and argue that it stops the continuity of the credibility of the internet as the information superhighway. The creative rights of people and their work has an integrity of its own, but the loss of freedom of expression and the freedom to move around the internet without being monitored is slowly being taken away by the passing of laws such as ACTA, PIPA and SPOA, to name some. Under these laws, websites such as Megaupload and Fileserve have shut down, costing the site owners thousands of dollars as fine, as well as a jail sentence of up to 7 years. Many people find this an unwanted and a ridiculous charge, as file sharing is not as heinous a crime as some of the other discriminations going on around the world. There have been several protests as well as petitions against these acts, as will be talked about in this paper.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction3

Discussion3

Conclusion6

Works cited8

Introduction

The recent uproar about online downloading of media has been well documented, and debates have been both in its favor and against. There are good points being held up by each side, and people's concerns are being voiced quite actively all over the internet and in news factions covering current events. Copyright infringement is in the middle of this debate but it is hard to determine whether the downloading of online content is harmful to the economy or respective artists. Intellectual property is the name given to any notion that may be legally protected through copyright laws, patents or trademarks. This property could range from music, to a poem, a movie or a theory, but when the author protects it legally, it cannot be open sourced for downloads and those who do download it, are said to be committing a crime. Napster was one such software that was created for the sharing of music and movies online, without bearing any cost. It reached massive levels of fame right from its infancy and by 1999, record companies had begun to notice. The Napster creator, Shawn Fanning was sued and told to take down all content, stopping further infringement of copyright of music artists and movie makers. Although it may seem like drastic measures, Napster only paved the way for various other software and pirate websites that allowed people to share and download media.

Discussion

Today, pirated media owners are obligated to ...