The Pros and Cons of Legalizing File Sharing of MP3s

1197 Words3 Pages

The Pros and Cons of Legalizing File Sharing of MP3s

An estimated 70 million people have reportedly engaged in online file sharing, most of it illegal. Illegal downloading mostly of music and some of movies or programs, took off in the late 1990's with the file-sharing programs like Napster, Kazaa, Morpheus, Audiogalaxy, and more. Many of these programs have started charging money for downloads like Napster, have been shut down by the RIAA like Audiogalaxy, or are still downloading illegally like Kazaa. It is almost impossible though to find a new song on Kazaa to download that hasn't been tampered with to make a loud screeching sound when you play it.

Peer-to-peer file sharing on such programs such as Kazaa has reached a crossroads and has the potential to take off as an increasingly popular method of sharing information. Or it could diminish under its own controversy as the RIAA, lawyers, and politicians try to negotiate the grounds of copyright protections and the legality of certain file sharing networks.

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