moneoa
June 9th, 2005, 09:25 AM
Some are calling this one of the most important cases ever with regards to online file swapping. Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the cases against peer to peer file sharing programs Morpheus and Grokster, as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the National Music Publisher's Association of America (NMPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), attempt to convince the judge that the aforementioned services were created for the sole purpose of trading material that is copyright online. Case number 04-480 will be heard on March 29.
It's really a shame that corporate America continues to deal with its problems in the courtroom. What they fail to see is the potential in this technology. Imagine a network of millions of people worldwide with the ability to transfer files within seconds. That's exactly what these programs do. But instead of trying to shut this technology down, why not embrace it? Record labels could release music that is protected with various digital rights management software, allowing a person to only listen or burn a track once they pay for it.
What it boils down to is this. P2P has made the trading of copyrighted materials a lot easier than in the past. However, if the judge rules against the file swapping programs, it's going to have a damaging effect on many other things. Devices such as CD Burners, VCRs, and tape recorders could become illegal. Or better yet, the companies who invented them could be sued for millions.
It's really a shame that corporate America continues to deal with its problems in the courtroom. What they fail to see is the potential in this technology. Imagine a network of millions of people worldwide with the ability to transfer files within seconds. That's exactly what these programs do. But instead of trying to shut this technology down, why not embrace it? Record labels could release music that is protected with various digital rights management software, allowing a person to only listen or burn a track once they pay for it.
What it boils down to is this. P2P has made the trading of copyrighted materials a lot easier than in the past. However, if the judge rules against the file swapping programs, it's going to have a damaging effect on many other things. Devices such as CD Burners, VCRs, and tape recorders could become illegal. Or better yet, the companies who invented them could be sued for millions.