Napster
In 1999 Shawn Fanning, an 18-year old college dropout, created a program that would allow him and his friends to share digital music files (MP3s) between each other. His program, named Napster, has sparked a historical debate about copyright law and the Internet. Napster is a free Internet music file-sharing program that allows users to quickly and easily swap files with one another directly, without the use of such a file server. This system of computers is called peer-to-peer networking. It is a simple idea that combines features of existing programs such as Internet relay chat, Windows file sharing, and music search engines. Napster is the fastest growing website in history. The Napster program is still in beta test (It's not finished in development) and has over 25 million users today. In February 2000, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued Napster and asked for them to shut down its file-sharing service, claiming that it facilitates theft and violates copyright laws. Therefor, the RIAA contends that Napster is responsible for contributory infringement of their copyrights. Contributory infringement is defined as where "a person, with knowledge of the infringing activity, induces, causes, or
of movies and television shows. In that case the court narrowly decided that as long as a technology like a VCR had "substantial" legitimate uses, it couldn't be banned. This standard is relevant, Napster says, because it can promote new artists who give permission for their songs to be downloaded. What isn't clear is whether this meets the "substantial" part of the test. The debate is often emotional and continues to evolve. Owners feel they must be protected so they can make their materials available on the Internet without fear that it is free for the taking. However, users fear the elimination of fair use. Purchasers of CDs have the right to make copies of the music on the CD for personal use and then play the music that was copied. The question rises when a computer user converts the music into MP3 format and then makes the file available to other computer users without the copyright holder''s permission. Copyright holders charge that this is piracy. Much of the debate also centers around whether or not current copyright law is made and needs to be updated and re-thought to deal with the emerging digital technology. According to statistics filed with the Court by the RIAA, essentially every single Napster user sampled was engaged in some copyright infringement while using the Napster service and the overwhelming majority of songs actually! akes sense in today''s environment. t just over a decade wrestling song rights and back royalties away from Capitol-EMI, George Michael sued Sony to get out of a contract he likened to "professional slavery" and, after being sued for breach of contract by Geffen, Don Henley counter-sued to unburden himself of a business relationship that made him feel like "a commodity, like soy beans or pork bellies." These cases, and thousands just like them, have painted the recording industry as a monolith that thrives on
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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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