Personal sharing of copyrighted media is illegal, but we don't grow up learning the intricacies of law. Rather, we endeavor to learn, and exemplify, the difference between right and wrong. Is piracy a manifestation of our greed which will destroy the economy, or is it simply a step towards the next economic paradigm shift?Ever since the shutdown of famed service Napster in 2001, corporations and governments have been trying to put an end to personal file sharing. Opponents of the concept have dubbed it "piracy", comparing it to theft, but the activity continues to grow.
International legislation, and conviction of the founders of The Pirate Bay have left little doubt about the legality of file sharing. But the law doesn't always tell us right from wrong. In fact, the right is often only served by breaking and eventually overturning unjust laws.
Paid for restricting access?!
Traditionally, companies based their income upon publishing and marketing a work (movie, album, software program, etc.) created by a third party then restricting access to it in order to derive recurring income. Although very profitable for the publisher, this model is characteristic of a monopoly, abusive to consumers and content creators, and discourages innovative new works. As more people become aware of their rights and options, this model becomes more vulnerable to failure.
The Law?
As weaknesses in the dominant business model have become more evident, governing bodies have changed or created laws to secure the business model. On the surface, this seems to clarify the situation by defining what is or isn't allowed with regard to media distribution. However, the influence of business over government must be considered. Even without the likelihood of corruption, corporations have greater power than individuals to affect legal change and often do so to support their own financial goals.
No Solution.
There is clearly a problem with the way media is marketed and sold. I would normally try to suggest a compromise everyone could live with. But this time I don't think there is one. It's not realistic to charge for making copies of material when making a copy effectively costs nothing. And it's impossible to capitalize on controlled access to media when all of the world's media is available through the Internet. For these reasons, music, video, and written publishing companies, as we know them, will go away.
No Problem!
While there may not be a solution to the problem that the publishing companies face, there's not really an overall economic problem, either. It's the nature of the economy to change and evolve. Efforts made by well-known groups such as Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Monty Python, as well as newer artists like Jonathan Coulton to market and publish their works differently are just the beginning of a trend that will end up being better for content creators and consumers.
The Answer.
Although the term "piracy" was coined in this context to associate the act of sharing media over the Internet with a crime, we adopted it and now use it affectionately. We are pirates. The business practices that make the rich richer at the expense of artists and consumers are wrong. If we support these failing, obsolete businesses at our own expense, that's just charity for people who neither need nor deserve it. Piracy isn't wrong. It's sharing... It's human... It's civilized.
References:
- The Pirate Bay verdict: guilty, with jail time - Ars Technica
- Trent Reznor On The State Of The Music Industry - Synthtopia
- Staff Viewpoint: Music industry is monopoly - The Current
- Related: The Music Industry Monopoly - Damage Studios & KoRn - Y'All Want A Single - Youtube
