If you download or share music online, STOP!!!!!!

Mz Destiny · #1 06-26-2003, 10:38 AM

I heard on the news this morning that in approximately 8-10 weeks, the recording industry is planning to start filing lawsuits against individual computer users that download and share substantial music collections online. They are going to the file-sharing companies (Kazaa, IMesh, etc..) and by law, the companies are supposed to give over the names of people who are doing the most sharing.

Here's the link to the article on cnn.com-

Recording Industry Suing Individual File-Sharers

Oh yeah...I forgot. There is no specific number of files that constitute substantial sharing....

LeslieAGD · #2 06-26-2003, 10:48 AM

I just don't buy it. They'd be suing half the planet.

ZTAngel · #3 06-26-2003, 10:50 AM

I'm sure if you have 100-200 files on your computer that you won't show up on their "radar screen". I think they're going after those people who sit there and download music all day and have over 1000 files on their computer.

xok85xo · #4 06-26-2003, 10:56 AM

what if you just download music, but don't share with other people?

LeslieAGD · #5 06-26-2003, 10:57 AM

Question: what's the difference between having the files on your computer and having them on an iPod?

Also, how are they going to find these files? I for one keep my file-sharing program disconnected. Are they going to hack into every single person's computer?

texas*princess · #6 06-26-2003, 10:58 AM

I don't know how they plan on doing this..

.. you know some super smart computer-programming guy or gal out there is just going to find another way around it!

I heard this story on the news last night was like:

Some people said the music industry is "waging war on its consumers" which I think is sooo true. Not everyone downloads music.. they are still making loads of cash on CD's (the Britney Spears empire.. Clay's CD *single*) and their profit margin on CDs is pretty big. Like someone mentioned in another thread, it probably only takes less than 10 cents to make a copy of a full CD with the little CD insert & everything. Greedy people I tell you!

Lady Pi Phi · #7 06-26-2003, 11:04 AM

I never share. It slows down my download time.

And if they do this they would be suing half the planet. I don't see how this is going to fly.

Didn't Metallica try to sue people who were downloading there songs when Napster was around? That didn't happen. They were just blocked from downloading on that site, but you could even get around that. I did.

texas*princess · #8 06-26-2003, 11:07 AM

I think it was JAM who used the phrase "Jackpot Justice"!!!!

Seriously! These music people seem so greedy! Like they're not making a bazillion dollars a year already anyway!

LeslieAGD · #9 06-26-2003, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by texas*princess
I heard this story on the news last night was like:

This isn't new...they've been saying this for quite some time. This is, however, the first time they've set a time limit.

UKDaisy · #10 06-26-2003, 11:12 AM

Ok, granted a lot of us download music that we may not buy the original cd. But I download music just to make a mix cd, a workout or party cd. I have bought the actual cd, but I just downloaded maybe one song off of it instead of burning the whole cd.

So thats another issue. People are making loads of money, and while yes I think its not right for you to download an entire cd if you aren't going to buy it, its going to happen. There's no way around that.

texas*princess · #11 06-26-2003, 11:12 AM

So are they going to do this by IP address? or are they going to send datamining cookies to everyone's computer?

There's lots of people downloading/sharing music online.. so something tells me this will back up all the courts and "real" cases won't be heard!

DeltAlum · #12 06-26-2003, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by texas*princess
So are they going to do this by IP address? or are they going to send datamining cookies to everyone's computer?

What I heard on NPR yesterday is that they can somehow check with ISP's to find out who is using sharing software. Some government official (Senator, I think) has suggested using software that will disable a users computer if he/she uses "illegal" sharing software.

LeslieAGD · #13 06-26-2003, 11:27 AM

Shouldn't they really be suing the companies that make CD burners?

In reality, downloading just to have the songs available on your computer is no different than listening to them on the radio. It's really the burning of CDs that makes it "stealing."

texas*princess · #14 06-26-2003, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LeslieAGD
In reality, downloading just to have the songs available on your computer is no different than listening to them on the radio.

actually, I believe the music companies/artists get paid when their song is on the radio.... I used to work for a college radio station, and we had to keep track of who was played when and how many times.. I'm not sure how "real" radio stations do it though

GeekyPenguin · #15 06-26-2003, 11:39 AM

All they will be able to check is what you are sharing.

They can't get into your folders if you are disconnected. I personally don't keep much music in my shared folder.

One senator did suggest giving you a program that would crash your hard drive if they "caught you" downloading. That would never work, because it would get bogged down in court right away. Think of it this way: If I rob the USBank down the street, that doesn't give them the right to come into my home and destroy my gun. They'd get countersued for this really quickly - one crime does not justify committing another.

I'm going to share more now that they've done this. I have bought 4 CDs in the last year - only for my very favorite bands or if it's an new CD at a reasonable (under $10) price. I have about 400 CDs that I paid for. I refuse to pay such obscene amonts for music anymore, and I don't think they are losing money to the point that it causes them hardship.

When Eminem and Madonna move back to Detroit and stop spending more on one car then I will on my whole education, I'll think about not sharing. blink-182 came out with this big no-sharing poster and at that point, I vowed to not buy another one of their CDs. They have sold out - I bought their first CD for $9.99. I'm not going to pay $20 for a shorter one that's what the record label told you kids wanted to hear.

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