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Could I be creating the art of stealing?
No? Ok Then.
Personally, I think that downloading music from the Internet if you do not own the EXACT song you are downloading already, is stealing. I know there are many arguments that it is not, I believe them to be nothing more than rationalizations. Of course reasonable minds can differ on this. But in the end, whether you figure Kazaa is responsible or not, Napster was responsible or not, it doesn't matter. Because the user that downloads a song knows that em is taking something em didn't pay for, period. Most people wouldn't walk into a store, take a cd, walk out without paying. Why is this different?
Oh I understand downloading music, I do it from time to time myself, sometimes for legitimate research purposes, but most often not. But I don't think we should delude ourselves. Does this make me a thief? Why yes, I think it does in fact. I don't lose any sleep over the handful of songs I have, but I don't pretend it is something else. I also speed too much. I don't lose sleep over that either.
I think however that RIAA is fighting a losing battle. I think they need to reconsider how they sell their music and what they charge for it, and until they do, the average every day person will keep downloading music. Add to that movies and software too. People just have a real problem paying 150 bucks for the newest version of Windows, or whatever it costs these days.
The companies need to wake up and accept the fact that people feel they are being overcharged, and until they stop feeling that way, many of them who are otherwise law abiding, respectful people, are going to take advantage of the ability to download music for free.
Attacking computers, suing individuals, all these things will do is make people more resentful and look for even more ways to download the music for free. Just to screw the companies that are screwing with them. We'll find ourselves in a technology arms race, and the industry simply cannot outlast everyone else.
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