Should Online File Sharing be Strongly Prosecuted?

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hotel buchen griechenland of 3:31AM May 05, 2010

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lemonade diet of 9:54AM March 26, 2010

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lose weight of 8:55PM March 25, 2010

Nowhere in any of the discussion does any one mention the word "public library" I know this generation has plenty of money to buy copies of books and CDs they want to listen to--or feel that is more important than giving money to church or charity--but those of us in an older generation have read thousands of books and listened to equal numbers of records, CDs and tapes that we never paid for and were never considered as breaking any copyright laws. To this day I listen to at least one CD or book on CD every week while I drive to work that I get from a library. Sure they pay a bit more for a copy of the book, CD or DVD, but no one has suggested we charge a copyright fee for every person who benefits from theses materials.
I am not in favor of unlimited downloading of copyright materials, but there must be some consideration of what people can afford to do and how much educational value there is in reading or listening to various materials. Selling ( profiting monetarily) an illegally copied material is a different issue and should be monitored and prosecuted.
Besides the idea of public libraries, people who do buy copies of books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, etc frequently pass them on to friends who in turn buy another item they exchange. I could never have afforded to read the thousands of books I have read if I had to buy them all new. Those I own come primarily from used book sales.

Kay Tuttle of MI 11:20PM March 27, 2009

If for instance I download an album of the internet insted of paying for it, what do I do with the money I've saved?
I simply spend it on something else.
Couldn't one argue that making it impossible to download music would in another way damage other business???

Lord Dave 2:15PM February 09, 2009

If you buy a cd made by an artist of your choosing, and your friend also liked that artist, would you not let him borrow that cd? Now two people have the music off that cd. File sharing online is not really so different than in real life. The act of sharing is there regardless. With the use of such online file sharing programs as lime wire, you are sharing your files with any one else using that program. It is not really illegal. I agree that Stars maybe making less money but so what if they are down to 1 mill a year? Normal people have to survive on far less. Just cut us a break.

Corey of CA 2:11AM February 08, 2009

Dr Mr. Lessig,
Your comparison of “Prohibition” in the 1930’s and today’s “Peer to Peer Sharing” is weak at best. During the period of Prohibition, Bootleggers and Speakeasy’s made money from selling booze to customers. Their activities were illegal, but unlike “Peer to Peer, Sharing”, neither the Bootleggers nor the Speakeasy’s gave the booze away free – they actually sold their goods and made money. After Prohibition ended, the companies that produce Beer and Liquor make money from selling alcohol to millions of people.
The one constant (legal or not,) is the “Selling” part. Money exchanged for goods received.
Your comparison could have instead been, (albeit bizarre, not too far off from your 1st example) the story of Jesus of Nazareth feeding a crowd of 5000 with five small loaves of bread and two small fish, and then just substitute the fish and bread with 1 bottle of Jack Daniels instead, (Don’t forget to mention that all 5k got really tanked too - on 1 bottle!)
The folks that make Jack Daniels would be none too thrilled, son of you know who or not - he’d (Jesus,) have had to face all kinds of law suits as a result. Is it more accurate to say the act of stealing is somewhat intoxicating? You get that thrill of taking something you didn’t pay for along with not getting caught? And so, if enough people continue to do the wrong thing, because there’s enough of them doing it, that makes it OK? No. Stealing is stealing.
It’s both legally and morally wrong. If your kid steals, they should be prosecuted for doing so. Parents need to take responsibility for teaching their children the difference between right and wrong, not how to justify something - just because a large group is doing it, it is somehow OK that they do it too. Weren’t the Nazi’s all about that kind of mentality? Mob mentality is dangerous. If parents respected, (at all?) the creators of the art all of us enjoy and take for granted, they’d take an active role in finding out how things wind up on their computer in the first place- perhaps asking something like “Gee, I don’t remember anyone paying for this, how in the world did it get here?” Bottom line - If you don’t believe that Artists need to be compensated accordingly, you will when they can’t make a living doing their art anymore. In turn, we all suffer - wouldn’t you agree?
Yours,
W. Boyer

William Boyer of NJ 7:56PM January 23, 2009

Of course copyright infringement, piracy, ect. is stealing, but publishers demanding enforcement clearly has not been solving the problem.
The debate may need to be considered in a larger scope. The music and film industries seem most affected by piracy but consider this. Is 90% of the junk out there really worth its price-tag? Some of it you couldn't pay me to steal.
The latest Radiohead album was sold by the band via internet at whatever price the consumer desired. A lot of people certianly paid nothing, but many listeners were grateful and rewarded the band handsomely for their bold move.
These copyright laws and technicalities, as well as enforcement have been made over this country's short history and may not be up to the 21st century market-place.
It will take bold innovators to reap success in such a climate but it would not surprise me if this "piracy bubble" bursts eventually and a new model is unveiled. Perhaps leaner, quality oriented companies will be rewarded and mainstream artists will lose their "sky is the limit" price tag, but people will always seek entertainment and someone will always looks for a way to make a buck doing it.

Michael Mullin of NJ 4:36PM January 23, 2009

An artist works sometimes for years on a project. Sacraficing time in which they could earn a normal living wage. I'm an artist and I don't do it for the feeling I get when someone views or listens to my art. I do it because I need to. But I also do it because the system in which we operate allows me to make a living while doing it. If I no longer can put food on the table doing my art because people that used to pay for it now steal it, I will have no choice but to no longer produce it. I will not want to stop. I will have to stop. I'm speaking specificaly about the film business. Film art does not sustain it's self. It costs a lot of money and requires the investment of hundreds of skilled craftsmen. It represents years of blood sweat and tears, and countless human hours of hard work. If it's done well $11 is a pretty cheap price to pay to expierence it's magic. If file sharing continues the movie business, like the record business before it, will end. File sharing is grand theft! In the long term it will put hundreds of thousands of people out of work. It should be prosecuted and carry a substantial punishment.

Julian Fort of CA 4:37AM January 16, 2009

The connection between prohibition and the copyright piracy laws is obscure to me. Illegally downloading intellectual property is theft - plain and simple. If we are raising a generation of young people that don't see anything wrong with stealing, shame on them and shame on their parents. they are on-line crooks. Mr. Lessig's argument that, "...they live life with the idea that what seems "obvious" and "reasonable" to them is a crime." They get used to being criminal.", may be correct. However, I submit that they are already this way and have no respect for the law. They should be prosecuted.

G Grady of OK 2:32PM January 12, 2009