Comments on: Judge: File-swapping tools are legal

A federal judge hands a stunning court victory to file-swapping services Streamcast and Grokster, dismissing much of the music and film industries' lawsuits against them.

[Ozzzzz]

Sitting on the fence

I am in 2 minds about the current file sharing debate.
I have been very conscious about NOT using peer to peer programs like LimeWire, and have always PURCHASED my music on-line (and advocated the same to my kids - "if it is free, its not legal")... BUT
I have found this process very unfulfulling.
I have copied all of my legally purchased CDs to my hard drive so that I can make my own compilations - it doesn't seem to matter what CD I own, there are always a few songs (at least) that I don't enjoy, so why not make compilations of those that I do enjoy... right?
But those in the "music industry" who are so over-zealous about copy protection are shooting themselves in the foot.
If I purchase music on-line, I am limited to only burning that music (say) 3 times... then it is blocked...
Even CDs nowadays are turning up with so called "copy protection".
I have PAID for my right to listen to this music. The artist AND the record companies have received their royalties.
I am NOT sharing my music with others - but when I am driving in my car, I don't want to spend time (and risk lives) constantly swapping disks in and out of my CD player...
And who are they kidding anyway... as quickly as they can invent a new method of "copy protection", someone can invent a way to circumvent it... don't take my word for it, just visit someone like slysoft.com and see.
I have had to resort to using software like that written by SlySoft in order to do what I should be reasonably allowed to do with my legally purchased music.
Talk about paranoia...
If the music (and movie) industry really wants to reduce the amount of file-sharing of copyright material that is going on they are going to really need to re-think how they are currently approaching the issue.
Also, with producers of software that allow file-sharing now "in the clear", the onus is now upon US (the computer users) to ensure our kids aren't downloading anything illegal... sounds simple enough - except that I have to pay for software like Spector Pro and Net Nanny to ensure that this doesn't happen, and then spend countless hours monitoring my kids access to the Net...
I have 4 computers in my household. Thats 4 x Spector Pro (see www.software4parents.com) and 4 x NetNanny to have a hope in hell...
I have DONE all of that. It has cost me $$$ PLUS endless hours of monitoring... and kids being kids always seem to find a way to circumvent this. Now they just share music through the download facilities built-in to Windows Messenger (or MSN Messenger)...
It seems to me that the problem is self-induced, and that the music industry itself needs to accept its share of the blame.
Over-inflated salaries for (top) performers, actors, executives and games developers means that the final product is too expensive for the average Joe...
If you can't make a new movie without a budget of $50M+ then you obviously have a problem. If you can't make a new game for x-box or PS2 for less than $10M then you obviously have a problem...
I recently found that my kids had installed LimeWire on our household computers. When I searched the hard drives, I found over 1,200 ILLEGALLY downloaded tracks that I subsequently had to delete (much to my kids dismay - the software said it was legal - and who are kids to read and understand the "fine print")!
But is it my fault?
I wonder....

[hahne59]

I "Balance" Things

If I "illegaly download" a file typically I'll buy something legally from the same artist. Just my way of not totally taking from the artist.

[Lavenderrose73]

Re: I "Balance Things"

I think that "balancing" is a wonderful idea. This whole situation, and whether it's ethically right (not necessarily "legally right"), is very hazy to me. Some countries have "legalized" prostitution and cocaine/heroine use, etc. I doesn't mean it's THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Until I got personal convictions about downloading artists' music, I used Morpheus, then Kaaza. But like many others, my copying goes way back to my childhood, when I'd turn on my favorite radio stations and record the songs onto cassette, especially after calling and requesting songs (which greatly helps the morale of a child not treated well). However, I never tried to sell copies. Even while using Kaaza, my only purpose for the songs I downloaded was to help me get through chores or to drive (especially!) out to Memphis every other week (I live in Jacksonville, AR and was going to John Casablancas in Memphis), not to mention that suicidal daily commute to work. Even with that, I STILL deleted over 1000 songs AND the Kaaza software during a 3 Day revival at a local church (not first time I'd deleted a collection due to a conscience conflict). A CD with very comforting or captivating songs played in my car makes a world of difference for me. I have driving anxiety (probably because of all the blasted stupidity on the road from other drivers!), and a CD really helps. Still, I'm not sure if it's right or not. I just want to enjoy songs for myself, or to use mp3's of artists I KNOW, not off-artists with completely unfamiliar songs, to embellish a picture show! Am I doing wrong with that, even if I make copies of the picture shows to GIVE, NOT SELL, to people the CD/DVD album concerns (copying slideshow of my sister's wedding pictures for her; fan club activities pics to others within the club, etc)? All those legal statements that make a 10 page term paper look like a paragraph don't clarify whether or not I can integrate an mp3 of Star Wars soundtrack songs with my festival and activities picture shows that only I and maybe others in our local club may have merely for reminiscing 20 years ago.

[christinej10]

Music Download Services that you pay for

Is it legal if you pay a monthly fee for downloading music for services like Yahoo Music Engine, Napster, etc?

[emt2]

Music Download Services you can pay for?

I have only know of one paying service that you could join and pay for, however it was $9.95 the first three months then $14.95 every month there after until you decided that the service was not for what you thought it was.

What types of service are out there that are available and that they don't cost that much each month and also .99c for each song that you download off the net. If they would be able to get a program that was affordable and the songs were only like .49c to .59c per song per download then it might not be so bad but when they are .99c plus any applicable sales taxes that may apply, that is nothing but absorbant. I am sure speaking for myself that people would not mind paying a reasonable price, but not a membership and also 14.95 per month as well.

emt2

[09jhill123]

they should not be sued

i think that the record people should back off i they dont fiuind procted music in there system they should not be sued because its legal as long as you dont download procted music or others i even if they not with the record compannies they dont have to psy for legal site because as long as you pay for it its legal and it procteds you from law suits sterm cast did not do nothing the users can sue the record companyes for un law ful because the did not download procted files lets put it this way if they did download procted music its illegal if they use a p2p network to download music and all and the music is not procted is legal because its no tprocted i dont no whoes stupis but if it is procted files its illeagl if not if the files are not procted they can not be sued because they are no tprocted files

[Byrdie63]

Down loaded music

I would like to say if downloaded music is illegal then so is VCR recordings because your taping newly released movies. This also goes for DVD recording machines. If your going to say downloading music is illegal than go after these other company also for their VCR and DVD recording machines. Its not fair to say one or the other is illegal especially when Billions of people been purchasing DVD and VCR recorders this effects the purchasing of movies also. Some people just wait for the movie to come on cable before purchasing the movie this way they can just record it with their VCR or DVD recorder.

[akita96th]

Their Greed Is their downfall

For years I have watched the record companies constantly increase the prices of cds, cassetts albums concerts etc...Until now you try and buy one it?s anywhere from $18 and up and concerts are ridiculous what $50 and up ?huh? no thanks... And seeing as how they own the airwaves they tell us what is great and what we should listen to ... this has become the norm (look at payola and radio, mtv and the mega bucks that change hands) it?s all a big racket. I read where one of there performers a well known band has recently wrote that he only has to make one more album to make and they will be free of their contract ,which means they will create produce and promote and sell tickets and everything on the web the band will have total control of what they make and sell and how much they sell it for they are not happy either with the prices the record companies charge for their music they spend money like crazy to all these bottom feeders and foot the bill to the artists it all comes out of their share before they receive any money from their work and they don?t even have a say in where it is spent and I am sure most of it is wasted and just goes in the cronies pockets ..So the future in music is not the almighty record companies there slop bucket will eventually dry up...a bunch of fat cat pre-Madonna?s whose only concern is how much they themselves can bleed from there own artists and then they want you to believe that file sharing is disrupting there cash cow..Ahhaha boy do I fell sorry for them...hehehe about time they got de-throned...Now days any band worth its salt can make their own cds...long gone are the days of big sound studios and company lackeys running around puckering up kissing B-holes to make the upper cruds rich n happy ...I personally like to buy cds of my favorite artists but lets face it shelling out $20 for a piece of plastic is ridiculous and really how much does the starving artist get out of that $20? If he is lucky .50c the rest lines the pockets of all these freeloaders who want you to believe that it is the artist who they worry about...Nononono technology must continue we cant make everyone knuckle under to these robber barons who want to own everything including the politicians who also take their money and continue to fleece you me and the artists who have to work for a living. instead of fighting technology they should have embraced it long ago and got everyone in the practice of buying licensed copyrighted material instead of doing what they always do "say no and continue to rip us off...no sir they brought it on themselves...once teenagers saw that they could get music without having to spend all their allowance on one cd the course was set... it was their way of saying "hey I am mad as hell and I aint goanna take it no more...yes it illegal what else is new but being illegal has never stopped anyone from doing it if they wanted to ..Heck you can buy a cd from the store take it home make 100 copies which would cost $30 and pass it out to your friends and never even use the internet so why pay $20 FOR ONE. So you cant blame file sharing for all your woes. What they really want is to be able to MAKE your ISP tell them where you have went on the internet and what you have downloaded and if you have downloaded any music then fine you thousands of dollars. Now to me this is not what I want and if you let them have it their way this is what will happen. especially if they can grease enough politicians to go along with this ...so you see the the only winners has to be the consumer (US) other wise we will all be owned by them...and this is not except able I personally don?t care if they all have to close the doors and go home broke as long as my freedoms are not compromised no amount of lost money to anyone is worth that even if I have to hum old country music tunes to be entertained....So in the end if the courts rule in their favor then we all know the fix is in ..They bought the government the government sold us out we lose the artists lose and they continue to get fat and rich ...WE continue to eat there slop pay their prices and dance to their tune...god help us all when that happens...

[lockerridge]

I know this is an ancient article in accordance with the speed of the internet these days.. but for heavens sake why are we just jumping onto the P2P users here.. hey lets take this all the way back to the cassette recorders then the 8 track recorders.. all of the big companies made them you know.. Lets go after Sears and Pennys.. maybe some Sony and Pioneer in there.. I know when I was a kid.. I had a Sears radio/cassette player/recorder that did not come with a microphone folks.. I recorded songs from the radio... okay then lets shut down the radio stations. How many people have recorded a movie from television.. cut the commericials out of it and made a copy for their friends or family..
Get real here.. if the record companies and movie studios are going broke over us downloading some files from each other that are not protected and are not sold on the black market.. how many of them are ending up in the soup lines over it? Last time I heard anything about a movie star and his money was when Tom Cruiz spent over 3 million dollars on his WEDDING.. he is not worried that someone might share a copy of Mission Impossible with a few people.. this is just dumb folks.. the internet is here to stay.. if they come up with a way to block the use of P2P programs.. somebody in their basement will take it to heart and work on a way to take them down.. it happens everyday.. and it always has.