What can we do about illegal downloading?

First, we need to understand how complex of an issue this is. The reality is that we all have been involved in some sort of illegal downloading. I have to admit that I have done it.  Although there is not a get a way reason for having done it, the main reason for us to do it is because the information is everywhere. Now a day we can share almost anything and we are exposed to others to have access to what we share. I do not think there is a sustainable way to fully stop illegal downloading, but I think that it can be regulated. For instance, last year, the “Copyright Alert System” was launched. The main function of this system was/is to send a letter from user’s ISP letting users knows that a violation has been made.  In other words, as we briefly mentioned in class, your Internet provider will let you know if a violation of privacy was occurred.  This system was first negotiated with the Center for Copyright Information, and while it might not have stopped illegal downloading hundred percent, I think it had an impact on users choices of downloading illegally.  I know for a fact a friend of mine received a letter for downloading the entire music albums with his Internet provider. Did it stop him from doing it again? Yes, at least for a while. Will he do it again? Yes. I think this is a great example of how also depends a lot on the user.  So the first thing to do about this is to ask ourselves is to what extend is too much? We don’t know, but what we know is that although we might not be likely to “get caught,” I think every user is under the risk, and by at least getting notifications from our internet providers, we might think twice about doing it.  We are surrounded by a generation that believes that downloading free music or other media for free is simply possible. Many people do not think the effect that is behind the “download” button. However, I think we also live in a society where we sometimes with simply go after the “free” stuff.

 A second option for this, although it might not seem possible, is to try and reduce the price of the music. Talking from the artist point of view, I would not want to reduce the price that might decrease my revenues. However, by decreasing the price I might also get more revenue as more people might be more likely to buy it as it will be more accessible. I think a big aspect to consider is the artist’s point of view. The government, and us as user, know several of the implications. But I think that artist should also take a stand and they could step in by reducing prices. Although it might not work, at the same time, it also might.

Third, and most obvious to me is to simply try and reduce the incentive to download illegally by making it harder. The main purpose of this is to take the widespread availability of illegal mp3’s by targeting file sharing sites. It’s an option that has actually been applied, but the main problem is that new sites often continue to crop up as long as file sharing continues to be profitable.  Although not an option anymore, I think artist have also the choice to choose what they want users to download for free. I know that websites such as Sound Cloud offer free downloads. Perhaps the most important thing as individuals is to look for ways that in which we can get access to music for free.