I used to "illegally" swap and download music on IMesh, but have quit out of fear. Does anyone have input into the best download site that is not illegal - I know Apple has a pretty good selection and charges .99/song. Is there anything better - either from a price or selection standpoint? Thanks for the input.
I don't disagree - but, the law has come down hard on people sharing and file swapping. Have you not seen the news over the past few years?
coinz: >Re-labeling and selling music is illegal. >File (song) sharing is not. newtoat: >I don't disagree... It doesn't matter a whit whether you agree or disagree - you two don't get to decide what is legal and what it not. It has been determined to be a violation of copyright laws (illegal...get it) to share your hard-drive full of music with the world. Any questions? JB
What about 'sharing' software? Are you not, in the act of 'sharing', denying the copyright holder their right to profit from their property? Software developers don't go on tour, the sale and licensing of their product is their primary revenue stream. So how is music sharing different? Or movies? There is no ethical defense for theft of copyright; if you bootleg intellectual property, at least have the courage of your convictions to admit that you're engaged in thievery.
tons of ways to stay safe. move to canada - it's legal, you pay a ~$20 levy on your iPod up front instead. don't share more than a few hundred songs at a time as its the biggies they chase first. make sure you're on a wireless router at home so you can blame it on the kid down the street. scrub your IP address (don't ask me, google). alternately, there are double-blind p2p systems coming online where you don't have to do anything but... ...share.
i see it the other way 'round: there is no ethical defense for copyright. copyright doesn't protect creators, it protects distributors of creation.
Payment should be voluntary. Like the mIRC program is. Then, if it is beneficial to the user they will pay for it. If not, then the maker should get into another line of work. It's called efficiency. And what about buying a CD filled with 20 songs of which only 2 are any good. Do you not get ripped off by the artist that way? Same thing with a movie. Whether or not it is junk you still have to pay $12.00 for the ticket. That's robbery. In a restaurant if the food sucks you go to the cashier and tell her how horrible it is - most likely she'll apologize and not charge you. How do you think I've been able to stay alive this long?