Is downloading music and film torrents a form of piracy? Is it the same as stealing - considering the artist doesn't receive any payment for his creativity? Would you like to be sued for $4.5 million for illegally downloading or sharing music on the Internet?
Click here to read the story: The Guardian
45 comments:
...I'm kind of cringing from the prospect of reading the article (I skimmed through it) because I am so very guilty of download music for free.
In my defense, however, Dubai is ridiculously expensive when it comes to buying CDs and the like. I mean, if I had to choose between paying almost AED 80-300 for a single CD and downloading the whole album for free, I would totally choose to download my stuff. You might as well spend that money on diamonds or whatever.
I'm all for supporting my favorite musicians, but I also support not being broke.
I intend to make up for it by going to all their concerts, though.
And before anyone says "Why go to a concert when you can buy the CDs", concerts only come around once in a while, if not a lifetime. I'd rather spend good money on a proper, live concert than on just a CD :/
First and foremost: Yes, it is stealing. But stuff like this is the hazy area of law and justice. Such laws that were "un-enforced" for a while and then all of a sudden claims are made.
Even subconsciously I think that it should be allowable to prosecute for piracy. But now that its spread like it has, its just foolish to punish a minority. To think that we can just bring an end to piracy quickly is stupid same goes for the music industry by thinking that punishing 30,000 will stop the other billion...
Yes it's piracy, yes its stealing and yes I think that everyone should be sued for it but unless you do sue EVERYONE its totally pointless and unjust.
We all download music for free
(YES YOU DO DO NOT DENY IT !)
And yes it is illegal and yes it is stealing.
But why should we care ? The artist still make millions !
I think a better thunk would be
"How do artist make all that money even though we download all their songs for free ?"
I dont think its a bad thing, i see it as sharing :)
Seriously, you can call it illegal or bad or anything but you have to admit EVERYONE does it.
Everyone I know downloads music/photos/videos illegaly, not one got sued. I don't see it as a big deal, I like buying original CD'S because I like having a collection but I see nothing wrong about downloading music online.
Plus, Zaid has a point. We can download as much pirated songs we want and they'll still make millions. Everyone wins.
Nikol 10g2
First and foremost like many of the earlier comments, almost all of us are guilty of downloading free music and movies from the internet. I mean how many of us haven't visited TPB?
Yes, it is illegal to download free music, but I believe that it is simply something that comes with the internet. After all, the internet is a form of sharing information, and this can include music. And as the first commenter mentioned, music CD's in Dubai, and for that matter anywhere in the world, are extremely expensive. It is only natural that people try to find a cheaper way to listen to their favorite songs.
Honestly I don't feel guilty of downloading free music, after all artists do make millions and as I said earlier it is simply part and parcel of the internet.
It is stealing but everyone does it.I dont know if because everyone does it,it makes it acceptable but the artists make alot of money aswell so its a win-win situation. If they made any more money who'd know where musicians would end up at.
Nowadays, downloading music online has become such a mundane activity that a substantial percentage of people who download music for free probably aren't even aware that they are breaking RIAA rules. Therefore, under the current circumstances, it is completely irrational on the RIAA's part to sue around 40,000 end users who in all likelihood meant no harm to anyone.
I can't help but wonder that if the RIAA is so keen on eradicating online piracy, why haven't they used all their network engineering expertise to try to block such activities from occuring in the first place. Ever heard of the proverb 'Prevention is better than cure'? I'm sure the RIAA has dozens of software designers and network engineers on their payroll who are more than capable of costructing a few online barricades. Maybe they should try doing that instead of ruining the lives of people like Mr.Joel Tenebaum. It's probably due to this lack of action from the RIAA that downloading free music online has become such an easy and convenient way of keeping your music library up to date. It's almost like as if the RIAA wants you to break their rules so that they can later grab your money by imposing fines on you.
I think that they should reconsider the way they sell their products. Seriously, most people like only one or two songs of a whole album, why should they buy the whole thing only for a song or two. Much easier to just download it from the net. Yes, it is illegal, yes it is somewhat immoral, but such a vast number of people are doing it, it actually starts to blur the line between right and wrong. Something becomes a norm, when it's socially acceptable and even expected in a society, and downloading music for free is just that.
I admire what Joel is doing, something he should be applauded for. Even though it's a bit like talking in a class where no one is quiet and when the teacher tells YOU to be quiet you answer "But, Miss, everyone else is talking!". You know you shouldn't do it and yet your brain tells you that if everyone else is doing it it's perfectly acceptable to join them.
Zaid made a really good point there by saying:-
"How do artist make all that money even though we download all their songs for free?"
Which comes to show that it does not make much of a difference to download it, or upload it online. You are paying for the internet, which provides unlimited downloads, for a monthly fee, which seems to cover the downloads, so, we do actually pay to download things, so how can it be considered as stealing, especially when the aritsts are making their money?
Nikol was right, everyone wins.
I guess you could say it is stealing, but its not like we are downloading bank plans or pentagon passwords! :)
Music is a gift to life and it has helped soooo many poeple in numerous ways.
Would you sue someone $4.5 million who has found a way to relax? To be peaceful? And extensive research studies have now proven that some music can help those who have amnesia regain a partial amount of their memory as music also helps the cerebral development of a human being. Is that justice?
Of course we have all downloaded music from various websites. We are guilty. But let me ask this, what about the people who have brought devices as lethal as guns into the world? Yeah there are precautions and standards, but at least the obtainment of a simple song with albeit a couple of swear words would not INTENTIONALLY end someone's life.
This thunk is similar to the comic book one about whether it is stealing, to read a book in the store itself. But just like books, music is a way of attaining invaluable knowledge, and no amount of stereotyping and injustices would prevent ANYONE from acquiring that kind of information and knowledge.
An even better question would be, how would you like it if you were an artist and a talentless nobody decided to take the stuff you created without giving you a brass farthing for it?
The line of thought so far seems that if the artists are making money it's ok to not pay them for their songs. Since when did it become ok to steal from the rich? If a rich man has ten cars can I steal one and say oh, he's got so many, he won't miss it?
And anyway, not all the money one spends on a CD goes to the artist - a lot of it goes to the record label and producers etc.
I'm a published author and if someone sold and shared my books without paying me royalties I'd be hopping mad.
Just because a lot of people do something doesn't make an action right or wrong.
Mr.Roberts to be honest i really would be angry that the work i've done is almost going down the drain but the way they spend their money from what they make is ridiculous,they're just throwing it everywhere and dont really care about it so would it really matter to them i mean they KNOW that people are going to download their music yet they still carry on and still make more then enough money for it.
Just what I was about to say ^
A majority of people doing something does not make it 'okay' to do so. If everybody was robbing pencils from a store because there are so many and one won't be missed, it does not make it right for me to go ahead and steal a pencil just because everyone else is doing it.
Yet I feel the situation of downloading music/movies has gone way out of hand. Like others have mentioned, it is not fair to just target a certain few suspects, when SO many of us are 'guilty' of this form of piracy. Heck, I admit it myself, I've got Limewire open right now :/ But what do we do to cease this? The artists are not naive; they are aware of all the copyright infringement going on right now, and if they want it stopped, then they will have to resort to drastic measures, because this is not going to end easily.
I agree with Mehvash =P
Mehvash
I agree with you. I'm not without guilt myself. I've been known to download torrents as well - even though I believe it's wrong.
However, if I were caught and punished for it, I'd accept my guilt and not whinge about it like the guy in the article :)
Well that's true, but Sir, $4.5 million? :P
I would admit my guilt but I wouldn't be willing to pay such a large sum of money when I'm not the only culprit :/
Yes sir if everyone's doing it,it's not acceptable but its also not acceptable for only a few people getting punished for it,it's injust
Mehvash, the guy initially had to pay only $3000. He chose not to. Now he's being sued for $4.5 million by the record label. There's a lesson to be learnt here :)
Marwan, you're right - it's not fair to pick on a select few. They should go after the sites that host torrents. What they're doing now is the equivalent of arresting a few cocaine users but leaving the big drug cartels who manufacture the cocaine to do as they please.
I don't mean to equate downloading torrents with cocaine - it's just an analogy :P
Hahaha yeah sir it's true what you said if they hit the main source then everything would stop,they should have just done that instead of punishing some people because it would be really hard to punish EVERYONE that has downloaded and shared and so on.
Ah right I guess I misread. In that case, he was wrong to be so defiant and should've payed up when he had the chance. Now, matters have gone out of hand because of his indignation. Yes, something we should all learn from- not to prolong our problems, but deal with it as soon as possible.
Downloading music and film torrents is a form of piracy and is like stealing. The artist doesn't receive anything. Everyone does it and it cannot be stopped but it is wrong. Countries like UAE are expensive and it becomes hard to buy CDs but still it doesn't mean the majority keeps downloading music and film torrents.
Downloading is not stealing, but sharing. For example, one person buys a CD and gives it to his relative to save it on his pc, that person then gives that copied data to another relative through his USB or CD and this goes on. So its not stealing, but sharing. If downloading is stealing, then why is the radio available to people? Even using the radio, anyone can record the latest releases and polish those recordings on the computer and distribute them.
Haha I love Zaid's idea for a thunk!
This is so true, we call download music illegally and true, we are technically stealing... but this isn't a law that has been around for decades.
I completely agree that on a CD of your preferable artist, there are only 2-3 songs that you'd actually be willing to pay for.
What does it matter to the artists/recording companies? They make millions anyway and it just goes to show how greedy and money-driven these showbiz people can be.
It is definately stealing, but everyone does it and I know that it still doesnt make it right, but if they decided to sue everyone who downloaded music illegaly, there would be thousands of people paying huge fines. The record company would lose alot of public intrest and their artists might even sign onto other labels, so I just cant see companys doing that anytime soon...
As everyone has already stated, but I would still like to repeat again, yes: it probably is stealing. But I do it anyway because there's no one to stop me from doing it. I do it because there are no serious consequences to it. I do it because so do over a million others! If I was caught of course, and was fined then I would admit to my guilt and pay the charges. Yet to stop only a small minority from downloading torrents and to let the rest get away with it is unjust and useless. If they did somehow find a way to stop access to ALL and ANY torrent files through the internet, then it would mean something. Even though I think that is a highly far-fetched possibility, :P
I once read that artists leak their own songs on the internet through friends to promote their albums.
While I strongly agree that is IS stealing, and I am deifnately guilty as charged (Although in my defense I can never find the Santana Woodstock performance in '69 anywhere but the internet), can't we hold these celebrities themselves liable for this, even if just a bit? I know the problem is usually with the record labels and not the artists themselves, but they'd signed with these people and they'd back stabbed them when you think about it really.
I'm not at all defending this person. I think if he had paid $3000 and owned up he wouldn't have had to resolve to the Guardian to publish his story and gain some sympathy from the general public. it does however scare me now, what if someone comes after me and my parents?
Well I agree with everyone, it is stealing. However we all download free things off the internet and ofcourse everyone would choose the free thing over paying something. The internet is used for sharing information so I think its ok to download things like music and films as the artists have already made a ton of money.
I fully agree that downloading music and films is a form of piracy/stealing, however I am not denying the fact that I do it myself along with 90% of our secondary school.
If i was the producer of any music or film naturally I would copy right protect it and would not be the slightest bit happy if it was available FREE OF CHARGE on the INTERNET.
Agreeing with zaid, the artist do make trillions and gazillions of dollars because there are people who buy the CDs. The artists are just greedy and want more $$$.
We all would probably be the same..
I definately wouldn't want to be lumbered with a fine of $4.5 million, i would rather listen to the radio everyday to keep up with new music and visit the cinema often to catch up on new movies :)
yes,downloading is clearly a form of piracy and stealing,and obviously i wouldnt want to be fined for doing it,
everyone here knows,(even you roberts) that even though this post have been put up,and evryone has read about it, and no matter what you have commented you will still download music ,movies....everything that you can if u need it or not
if you think of it then the radio is also a form of piracy too,
you do not pay for the radio,nor do you pay for the cd,s and songs they play ,but yet you listen to them,
in relation to this topic i can bet all of you that cops,the government,even obama downloads music
(well obama said it thats why i can say that with full assurance but in general,the point im tryin to put down is that,
EVERYONE DOES IT SO WHY FINE A FEW WHEN EVERYONE ELSE DOES IT TOO,
FINE OBAMA FIRST
Galen
Obama downloads music legally through itunes and pays for it. Yes, people listen to songs on the radio for free - but that's because the radio station has paid royalties to the music label to play that song. Radio stations then recoup that amount through advertisements aired on their stations. There's nothing illegal about what radio stations do.
Just like everyone else here, I download torrents all the time. To be honest, I do feel a bit guilty about it... but then I just remind myself that I'm just like everyone else here - I'm not the only one committing the crime. Yes, its a crime, a foul one. Sure, these show biz people ARE heaped up with money - but music is their career, they can't go on having their work illegally shared. If I were an artist, I'd hate for that to happen, EVEN if I had loads and loads of money on me, it's just not right - It's music, it's an art, it ought to be paid for. People don't go around giving paintings for free, so why share music or movies like that?
Ofcourse, I do download music and film torrents, but if they were to ban all the torrent sites in every part of the world, I wouldn't mind, I'd just think it as just.
About the article.. I feel really bad for the guy - if I were him I'd go ballistic, I mean c'mon... you ask a small group of about 40,000 people to pay an amount for something that millions of others do?
If they did that to every person out there that shares music, I'd understand. But to a small portion of them? No, that just isn't fair.
Either way, in my opinion..works of music and film should be paid for, whatsoever. Afterall, they entertain us, right? It can be our way of paying back these entertainers.
To all those people who call artists greedy...You DO know that half the money they earn through their songs goes to the record companies right? >.<
In SO many places, like dubai for instance, studios have closed down due to a slacking down in the music industry. This is because artists prefer to record at home, as they aren't earning enough money to share out between themselves and the record company.
Also.. how is someone greedy if they want to be paid for something they do as a living? Something they're talented at?
Besides, if they were really that greedy, they'd take every action to stop the illegal misuse of their work. Just in case you haven't noticed, in that article,its the record companies that sued those people - not the artists themselves.
By the way, no one here has to buy an entire cd! Atleast have paid torrents, that would be fair.
Okay, I should shut up about this topic now :P
Downloading music and film for free is illegal and unfair on the directors, producers and singers. It is suppossed to be equal to stealing, however it's not considered a serious offence. This is because it happens in large amounts and it's hard to keep track of the downloads and sue them. There are so many sites for these kind of things that its almost impossile to ban all of them. It could be done if some organisation takes serious action which would take time and money.
For us common people its much easier to just download it online for free than buy it.
yeah, it is a form of piracy and we're all guilty of it. but then again, if none of us downloaded music, we wouldnt become aware of the latest songs, we wouldnt become aware of the new creativity or ideas. like nikol said, its a way of sharing. and it's not like we're not giving anyone credit for the work theyve done, we do, we do appreciate, we do vote for them to win awards and such. but if we dint download, we wouldnt vote, and if we wouldnt vote, artists wouldnt win awards, and if they dint win awards they wouldnt be inspired to create more music and so on
and yeaahh, now that it's been mentioned, how do aritsts earn millions when a more than the majority dont even buy their songs/cds :O
honestly we all download music illegally but to me it does not feel as if it is such a crime. I mean come on i am a unemployed high school student, who is lucky if she gets any money to go out on the weekends. It is rough out there, of course looking at it if i were the artist, he could see it from two prospectives, one, as an artist, and also as an everyday person. Plus half the artists i listen to are not available here in dubai, and i do not trust the internet to send me the CD. Like neineisharie said , i make up by going to as many of their concerts as i can.
I fully agree with Mehvash on this.
Yes i agree, downloading movies and music from the internet is a form of piracy/stealing.
But on the other hand i agree with Mo, we are paying monthly for the internet connection aren't we? Anyways how many songs+movies can someone download in a month? 20-30, give or take a few and we are all paying about 200-300AED a month for our internet. Does that not make up for the amount of songs/movies we are downloading?
Even after so many people download songs/movies from the internet, these artists still make millions from one album/movie.
Amol
The money you pay for the internet goes to Etisalat or Du - not one fil goes to the artist.
well, all the music in my Ipod is pirated. I have never paid for any of it.
But if you consider the perspective of the guys who spend hours getting it right, then yes, piracy is bad. and really unfair. I can imagine myself in such a position where i would hv spend hours on a piece of music, and seeing it getting stolen, would deeply hurt and vex me.
But being Aliza, who has not an ounce of talent, I would be really hesitant to pay for music in my Ipod. Not a CD maybe, but for downloading music, yes.
but that's life........
All these bloggers (including myself) are guilty of this "Crime".
But 1 question, Why haven't the biggest source of piracy "torrents" taken any legal action upon?
I mean, it is literally LEGAL!!
Limewire is the new napster!
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