Music on the Internet and Copyright Infringement :: Web Music Industry Essays

AbstractMillions of subprogramrs worldwide use online load trade inping services, in outrank to download free music. Record companies, needless(prenominal) to say, are not very happy about this, neither are many musicians. This paper presents the historical and healthy background of this subject. Then, it discusses the morality of such free music services, based on two major ethical theories consequentialism and contractianism.IntroductionThe Audio Home Recording turning (AHRA) 1, states No action may be brought under this title alleging misdemeanor of copyright based on the manufacture, importation, or distribution of a digital phone recording device, a digital audio recording medium, an analog recording device, or an analog recording medium, or based on the noncommercial use by a consumer of such a device or medium for making digital musical recordings or analog musical recordings.The above indicates that individuals coffin nail make copies of music recordings for personal noncommercial use and cannot be sued for copyright infringement 2. In 21st century terms, it can be argued that downloading MP3 files containing music for personal use is not illegal. Napster lawyers thought so too. This argument was used by Napsters lawyers as one of the two lines of defense at the lawsuit filed against Napster by The Record Industry Association of America (the RIAA) 3. Unfortunately for Napster, the judge ruling was in favor of the RIAA, and eventually it brought Napster down.Napster was a pioneer in the area of file swapping over the Internet. The Napster web site made available the software necessary for the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file transfer to work. People used it primarily for copying MP3 music files, then avoiding the need to actually purchase recorded music.Napster quickly became a very popular web site with a 15 million registered users in less than a year, according to company sources. However, Napsters remarkable success was not at its best interest. It had drawn the attention of the Record Industry, and raised its concerns of Copyright infringement in large volumes. Barely a year after its launch, it was sued by the RIAA, which represents major recording companies such as Universal Music, BMG, Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and EMI. The RIAA claimed that by allowing users to swap music recordings for free, Napsters service violated Copyright laws. Eventually, the judge ruled against Napster, and, failing to complete the sale deal with Bertelsmann AG, it had to shut down its operations and scourge its assets 3.