“Sis, I downloaded the newest movies recently. You don’t have to spend money and watch in the theatres.”
“That’s great! Anyway, the Hana Yori Dango drama that you wanted me to download is ready too. We can watch it all tonight!” I answered.
I have to admit that it is an every day thing for me and my sister to download movies or music from the internet. It is hard for anyone not to download anything from the net these days. Honestly, would you rather buy a CD that cost around 20 dollars or download the whole album free of charge? Well, everyone wants a share of free stuff that can be easily downloaded. However, with more people downloading music and movies from the internet, the content creators are losing their own copyright. Artists and record companies are earning much lesser than before as the usual customers decided to switch to a cheaper channel to get their albums.
What exactly is copyright and its laws?
According to the Wikipedia, “Copyright is a set of elusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. At its most general, it is literally "the right to copy" an original creation.”(Copyright,2007) For one to be eligible for the copyright protection, they have to achieve the following three points.
The creation has to be original to the creator.
1.The creator cannot copy someone else’s work
2.The creation has to be obviously creative and not copyrighted
3.The creation also has to be fixed in a tangible medium. Ideas cannot be copyrighted, but the tangible expression of these ideas can be copyrighted. (Ovalle, C,2005)
So how long does the copyright last? According to the copyright law, the time period a particular work can be protected by copyright depends on many factors such as when the work is created and when was it renewed. “The current copyright law lasts for a lifetime of the author plus 70 years, or in the case of a "work for hire" 120 years past the date of creation or 95 years past the date of publication, whichever is sooner.” (Ovalle, C,2005)
Copyright and file sharing
Copyrighted works can be easily copied onto the digital media through file sharing- the public or private sharing of computer data or space within a network. (Whatis,2007)For most people, we send files of music and movies through the standard messaging tools. In certain forums, music and moves are uploaded by certain users and shared broadly by many other users. File sharing usually follows the peer-to-peer (P2P) model where the files are stored on and served by personal computers of the users. P2P sharing is distinct in a way as in some of the networks, uploading of files is not required. However, there are some networks where incentives are given to those who upload files. (File sharing, 2007)
How copyright benefit content creators and public good?Copyright ultimately does benefit the public as it helps accelerates the progress of science and useful arts. (Ovalle, C, 2005) With copyrights, creators are given exclusive rights to their hard work. This would help spur them to produce more and better work for the public. The quality of the public good will therefore increase. The public also benefits as more original works will be published. It is crucial for everyone to know that the copyright law is there to help establish a balance between the content creators and the interests of the public.
Real market VS the net
Due to the increased downloading and file sharing that is available along with the sales of pirated hard copies of CDs and DVDs, the recording and motion picture industries have resulted in billions of dollars of lost sales (copyright, 2007). Many of these industries thus accused some of the file sharing channels such as Limewire and Napster of causing the dip of their sales. The Recording Industry Association of America sued Limewire that it was profiting from unauthorized downloads. (Limewire, 2007) I recalled that when Singapore first started the copyright laws, many users who used Limewire to download music or movies were caught and fined. That created quite a huge buzz about what can be downloaded from the net in Singapore.
Solutions
It seems that neither the content creators nor public can be satisfied. Content creators would hope to earn more profits as hard work was put in. On the other hand, the public will search any possible channels to get their music or movies without paying.
One way of solving this problem would be allowing file sharing (P2P) to be used by users. According to
Canadian Record Industry Association, downloading music may not necessarily hurt real business. Only 25% of the respondents said they never bought music after downloading it from the P2P. The majority still buys CDs and DVDs. (Canadian Record Industry Association, 2006) Well, downloaded music or movie may not give quality sound or images. Not only that, once one’s computer is down, downloaded music or movies will be gone; one may have to redownload it again. P2P can exist as long as it does not make extra profits. It can even serve as a community where undiscovered music can be found and maybe published.
Another way of benefiting both parties would be charging a small amount of money for a few downloads. It would be similar to getting real music from the music stores. For users who bought their music online may be able to get extra incentives such as getting free passes to see their idols or getting freebies. This benefits both parties as consumers will be able to get what they want in a cheaper price and profits can still be made by content creators. A new way of publishing music may be produced instead of the old traditional way of selling records.
Conclusion
As internet becomes part and parcel of our lives, more and more people will turn to the net for their favorite music and movies. However, most of us may be neglecting the copyrights that were given to the content creators. We should respect and acknowledge the work that has been done by them and not taking it for granted. A balance has to be achieved so that both the content creators and public will be satisfied.
References
Limewire (1 Febraury, 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved Febraury 1, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LimeWireCopyright (28 January, 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved Febraury 1, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Copyright&oldid=104140398Filesharing (1 Febraury, 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved Febraury 1, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharingOvalle, C(2005). "Why do we have copyright". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/%7Ei312co/2.phpOvalle, C(2005). "What is copyright". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/%7Ei312co/3.phpOvalle, C(2005). "Copyright questions". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/%7Ei312co/4.phpWhatis ( 2007). "file sharing". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212119,00.htmlCanadian Record Industry Association Study (2006). "Downloading doesn’t hurt business". Retrieved Febraury !, 2007 from http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/murmurs/archives/2006/20060320_downloading.html
Copyrighted works can be easily copied onto the digital media through file sharing- the public or private sharing of computer data or space within a network. (Whatis,2007)For most people, we send files of music and movies through the standard messaging tools. In certain forums, music and moves are uploaded by certain users and shared broadly by many other users. File sharing usually follows the peer-to-peer (P2P) model where the files are stored on and served by personal computers of the users. P2P sharing is distinct in a way as in some of the networks, uploading of files is not required. However, there are some networks where incentives are given to those who upload files. (File sharing, 2007)
