Internet Piracy
- With Mistakes Corrected
It
happens every second of every day all over the world. One click and that new song—the one you didn't pay for—is on your iPod.
You may think it’s legal. After all, downloading music is fast and easy, right? Think again. It goes without
saying that downloading music off the web without paying for it is a cime. (4)
I
know. I know. Some will argue that “It’s my democratic right to download music without paying for it." Nonsense. The internet
might have started out with the intention of being a democracy but believe me, those days are long gone. The
internet these days is
about two things: information and money. Big money. One of the biggest money
makers on the web is music, and music is protected by law. If you download U2’s
latest album, let’s say, and you don’t pay for it, then you are breaking the
copyright law that says U2 owns that music. It is their property and you just
stole it. If you want to listen to U2, you’ve got to buy it, no ifs, ands or
buts. (5)
Also,
the artist has a legal right to get paid for his or her work no matter how or
where it is downloaded. How would you like it if somebody were stealing your
music? This is exactly what Napster was doing. Napster was the first peer-to-peer music sharing
site. Musicians, however, took Napster to court for not paying royalties, money
owed each time a song was downloaded via Napster. Napster argued that it was
just helping friends share music. The courts disagreed. Napster paid a big fine
and is now a pay site. (2)
Moreover,
illegally downloading music off the web is not a privacy issue. If you break
the law by illegally downloading music, you are a criminal. I’m sorry, but you can't have it both ways. You
can’t break the law and hide behind the privacy issue. The law is clear. Criminals have no
right to privacy. Period. (2)
It
bears repeating that downloading music without paying for it is a crime no
matter what anyone says about “the freedom of cyberspace.” Just because downloading
music is fast and easy doesn’t mean you have the right to steal it. (2)
