Why Downloading Music Should Be Legal

Cliché or not, art can change lives – but to do so, it needs to reach enough people. Illegal download sites allow people who don`t have regular access to expensive music, books, and movies to join the art world. At this point, many don`t want to — or don`t want to — pay exorbitant prices for movie tickets, while spending nearly the equivalent on discounted snacks or buying hardcover books for the same reason; Hacking websites offer everyone an equal chance to benefit from the songs, movies, and books that can impact life. Not to mention, at the height of the pandemic, film and television piracy flourished around the world during global lockdowns, offering people some relief and escape from the stressful and scary pandemic. In addition, losing a lawsuit for illegal music downloading can become very costly for the downloader. As USA Today reported, a woman sued for music copyright infringement did not agree to settle, like most defendants. The settlement offer was $5,000, which she could barely afford. After a defeat in one of the many lawsuits, another settlement offer of $25,000 arrived. She refused. In the end, the verdict against her was $222,000.

“The protection of the individual creator becomes problematic because of the electronic world and the fact that it is difficult to define a single creator because so many people contribute to the creation of the music itself.” (In 19) This only reinforces the idea that intellectual property in music is difficult to define because it does not go back to the musician, but to the entire record company, the producer`s composer, etc. A long series of court rulings have made it clear that downloading and downloading copyrighted music without permission on P2P networks is an infringement and could constitute a crime. Enjoy the music. By doing the right thing, you`re doing your part to keep the music coming. One way to avoid accidental and illegal downloading is to only collect music and movies from well-known legal sources like Amazon. If a downloader does not pay for the download, he should be very careful to determine if there is explicit permission to download from the copyright holder and not make assumptions. However, the courts have distinguished between copyright infringement by illegal downloading and “theft” because, under copyright law, infringement does not involve the theft of physical objects that deprive the owner of possession, but a case where a person exercises one of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner without authorization. Copyright does not grant authors and publishers absolute control over the use of their works. According to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, only certain types of works and certain types of uses are protected; And only unauthorized use of copyrighted works can be considered copyright infringement. In fact, most jurisdictions recognize copyright restrictions that allow for “fair” exceptions to creator copyright exclusivity, including, but not limited to, minimal quotes used in journalism and education, giving users certain rights. In addition, unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content (usually movies and TV series) as opposed to downloading is generally not considered infringement because the user does not intentionally make a copy of said content.

Barry and the School of Philosophy. “Is downloading really theft? The ethics of digital piracy. The Conversation, April 16, 2019, theconversation.com/is-downloading-really-stealing-the-ethics-of-digital-piracy-39930. Intellectual property (IP) rights include trademarks, design rights, patents and copyrights. With the popularization of the Internet, illegal downloading has become a major source of concern as it leads to copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is the practice of using copyrighted works without authorization and infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to create derivative works. When households started having internet connections in the 1990s, illegal downloading of music became a common practice. Similarly, people started downloading movies, e-books, and video games for free. Copyright owners – usually the creator of the work or a publisher or other society to which the copyright has been transferred – often refer to copyright infringement as “theft” or “piracy.” However, the use of the terms theft and piracy has been challenged by some academics and activists. Many argue that illegal downloading of music, books, movies, TV series, and video games should not be punished, and that sharing content contributes to equality and creativity. Hey. I really liked your article on this topic because I`m someone who downloads a lot of music and sometimes feels like I`m breaking the law. But your contribution has changed the way I know it.

I still feel a little guilty, but I now know I shouldn`t. Also, I enjoyed looking at the references. They are very interesting! Music piracy costs the record industry billions of dollars in lost revenue, and as with most things in business, these losses disproportionately affect inferior workers in the music industry. This means that professional songwriters who make money writing those pop hits that people love are often unemployed due to tight budgets. It also means there`s less money for music producers, sound engineers, and sound engineers, as well as for people who work in what`s called “artists and repertoire” or A&R, the talent scouts tasked with adding new blood to the music industry. Technology has made digital copying easier than ever. But just because technological advances make it possible to copy music doesn`t mean it`s legal to do so. Here are tips on how to enjoy music while respecting the rights of others in the digital world.

Stick to those, and you`ll please the people who created the music. What do you think? Should downloading copyrighted material be considered a crime or a crime? What about streaming? When it comes to downloading copyrighted material, is the term “online piracy” a fair analogy? Are there occasional exceptions to these rules? Sure. A “garage” or uncommitted band might want you to upload their own music. But bands that own their own music can legally make it available by firing it. And remember that there are many authorized websites where music can be downloaded for free. It`s better to play it safe – don`t assume downloading or burning is legal just because technology allows it. There are too many cheap alternatives to illegal downloading to continue the business. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video cost less than $10 per month and offer easy access to the most popular TV shows and movies.