File sharing. Oooh. Scary.
Originally posted 2/22/08 on ursuspacificus.blogspot.com –ed.
So, the RIAA still thinks it has a good idea on its hands. Well… we all fall victim to our delusions from time to time, I suppose.
This editorial in the LA Times draws an important line of distinction between, say, downloading MP3s of the songs from an album without paying for them, and just pinching the CD from 666Buy.
A major difference is that the “record company” still has the music after you download a copy. You have not reduced the inventory of the record company or the store. You have not reduced the availability of an intrinsically scarce resource. You MAY have reduced the demand for an artificially scarce product.
I would go a step further. File-sharing technology, such as BitTorrent, is a tremendous enabler for the Free and OpenSource Software community, and other legitimate online communities. There are countless legitimate uses for BitTorrent, et al.
The RIAA, and its ilk are ramming the demonization of file-sharing IN GENERAL down the throats of lay people who have no personal stake in the issue, but watch the TV news and vote.
I do think it’s kinda funny, tho, that the US Government is all about this “free trade” thing… yet they continue to allow the RIAA to conduct its witchhunt and propaganda campaign against what might be the freeest trade of all. Funny in a sad kind of way… It would be funnier if I could watch it from a safe distance, say, the moon.