Who is the real bad guy in this case?
Jul 13 '00
There really isn't any clear way for anyone to point a finger at one party and say "They are wrong! They should be stopped!" Who does the blame really fall upon?
The software developers?
Napster hasn't really done anything wrong technically, but they have created a tool that gives thousands of people the power to break copyright laws. But have they really done anything more heinous than the people who developed audio cassettes or the VCR? No... Which party do you think breaks copyright laws more often: Napster users or people who tape CDs for their friends? Which do you think is more widespread?
The "pirates?"
Sure, Napster users are breaking the law. It's a simple, clear-cut fact. But a great number of people who download music through Napster go out and buy the CD afterwards. It's nice to be able to play the MP3s on my computer as I work, but it's much nicer to actually hold the jewel case in your hand, look at the artwork. Especially in the case of a CD like The Fragile by The Nine Inch Nails. Even if the blame were to fall squarely and solely on the shoulders of Napster users how would you stop them? If you shut down Napster there's also Macster, Gnutella, Hotline, Scour, ICQ and plenty more out there or being developed.
In a black and white world there'd be an easy solution to this problem; there'd be a recognizable villain upon which we could rest the blame. But there isn't. Maybe the labels themselves are the bad guys... They make an inordinate amount of money off of the music the artists create. Much, much more than the artists will ever see. A lot of people see this suit as just that much more money-grubbing on their part. There's plenty of blame to pass around in this case, but the sad part is that the only victims are the people who actually create the music — the artists themselves. The problem of sharing copyrighted material will never go away, so pursuing Napster is just an exercise in futility. Perhaps the justice system would better serve the true victims of this situation by looking a little more closely at the accusers and not the accused.
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Epinions.com ID:
bigmisterc
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Member: Matthew Coburn
Location: Connecticut
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 2 members
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