Julie Blancaflor Media 4 3/8/11 Hoffmann

Piracy of Music and Movies

Just imagine from just clicking on the computer download to obtain your favorite song or movie on the Internet could land you in jail. Downloading music off the Internet has been around for over a decade now starting with the creation of Napster in 1999. Also, pirating movies has been a problem in the movie making industry and according to the Motion Picture Association; it is "the unauthorized taking, copying or use of copyrighted materials without permission and this makes it illegal to download music and movies. With technology growing each and everyday, it makes it easier for everyone and anyone to obtain music and movies from the Internet. It is wrong to illegally obtain pirated music files and movies because it is stealing, the production staff wont get paid and there are serious consequences for doing so. One reason why it is wrong for some to illegally download a movie or music is because they are stealing. Whether they are downloading a movie or a song from the Internet for free, someone else has to pay for that certain movie or song. People who file share are violating the copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of copyrighted material in a manner that violates one of the copyright owner's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works that build upon it.1 They enforce the copyright infringement so that the people who are part of the making of the

production will get their cut of the profit that the product they made are received but that wont happen if people are downloading their product illegally. When one is downloading free music or movies, they are stealing from the companies that provided the world with their product. One of the main reasons why it is illegal to file share and the piracy of movies is because that the people who put on the product will not get their fair share of the profit. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of the major music companies2 and The Motion Picture Association of America serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries in the United States and around the world.3 These two companies either serves the music industry or the film industry by helping them enforce the rules and regulations of copyright. By regulating these rules, it allows the production people, (artists, actors/actresses, director, manager, producer and whoever helped on the product) to get paid fairly but with a person constantly downloading music illegally, that doesnt happen to the fullest. Since the invention of Napster in 1999, sales for music have gone down significantly. According to the Institute for Policy Innovation it says that global music piracy causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U.S. jobs lost, a loss of $2.7 billion in workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.4 Not only that the artist are not getting paid for some, it results in job lost as well and thats 71,060 more people that are getting unemployed because one person wouldnt want to pay for a song.

Since this is such growing problem, the consequences have gone up and the RIAA is on top of it a lot more. The consequences of downloading music and/or movies include fines and jail time. Not only will this affect you personally, but also sometimes if you download some songs or programs that allow you to file share, it can cause virus and other problems with the computer. In 2008, RIAA sued more than 20,000 people for illegally downloading music on the Internet. For the first offense, it is usually just a fine that could reach up to 150,000 and for people with repeat offenses; it can result in jail time for up to six years.5 One case in 2009 that involved a Boston University student would have to pay four recording label companies $675,000 for illegally downloading music off the internet. 6 The RIAA has been cracking down on more and more people each and every year to show people that it is illegal to download music and it is their job to enforce that. Consequences will continue to go up if people continue to download music and movies off the Internet for free and it wont stop until there is a significant change. From stealing, to losing jobs and landing someone in jail, downloading music off the Internet or downloading or purchasing pirated movies is not worth it. The person may be getting a free song here and there but them just downloading just one song could possibly be the worst decision of their life. There is more on stake then just getting free song on the Internet. There is a lot more possibilities these days for obtaining music legally such as purchasing CDs from a retail store and iTunes has helped the music and film industry by allowing people to download music and movies for a reasonable price. It also allows music to be downloaded by the song, not the album. There are many other options out there that you dont have

to break the law to do. Even though these may not end anytime soon, everyone should take a part and get their entertainment legally.

Thomas Lee Davies Jnr. The Making, Selling and Distribution of - Illegal Copies of Movies / Music / Software / Fake & Counterfeit Merchandise. 2009 <http://www.copynot.com/> 2 Who we are RIAA < http://www.riaa.com/aboutus.php> 3 About Us MPAA < http://www.mpaa.org/about> 4 Piracy: Online and On The Street RIAA <http://www.riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php> 5 Rosalie King. Consequences for Downloading Music Illegally 2010 <http://www.ehow.com/list_6131665_consequences-downloading-musicillegally.html> 6 Jonathan Saltzman Student must pay $675k for songs 2009. <http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/01/bu_stu dent_fined_675000_for_illegal_music_downloads/>
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