Last week of my first class!

This 4 week schedule is gonna take some getting used to! This is my last week in Digital Literacy, and the topic is Copyright. As a quick side note, last week was on Research, and the assignments weren't very writing heavy, which is why I didn't post anything last week.

This week, there is a specific section of the discussion board assignment that I would like to share. Here are the prompt questions:

High profile violations of copyright recently have been with the digital theft of music and movies. How do you feel about illegal file sharing? In your opinion, what reasons do people justify illegal file sharing? What do you feel is a fair punishment for those caught illegally downloading files? How will you feel as a creator if someone obtains your work but doesn’t pay you for it?

And here is my response:

I am actually very torn on how I feel about illegal file sharing, and have been debating what stance to take and how much of my opinions on file sharing to discuss for this assignment since reading the prompt questions late last night. I have used Napster and LimeWire back during their times, and will admit to using other torrent software too. My justification has been that there is so much great content that I want to consume, that there is no possible way I could afford to purchase all of it.

I realize that that doesn’t make it ok or legal. But driving over the speed limit is also illegal. I know that comparing speeding to file sharing is apples and oranges, but they are both laws that try to enforce an ideal on society, instead of being laws that reflect the view of actual society. Here’s an example that I feel can be analogous to file sharing:

There is a new road near my home that opened about a year and a half ago. It makes access to I-15 much easier and quicker for everyone who lives in my area. When the road originally opened, the speed limit was 45 MPH. Everyone sped on that road, but not outrageously. Most people would drive between 55 and 60 MPH along most of the road, only slowing down for the two big turns. Fortunately, in this situation, it was quickly recognized that the reality for that specific road is that everyone drives faster than the law allowed, so the law was changed. Now the speed limit is 55 MPH, and there are signs suggesting drivers slow down to 45 for each of the big turns.

The reality of file sharing is that most everyone does it, whether they will admit it or not. Under the current laws, I feel that a fair punishment would be to simply have to pay the market value for the file that was illegally downloaded (what they would have paid to purchase the content in the first place.) I also feel that those laws seriously need to be reevaluated, considering how quickly society changes now as a direct result of more widespread and faster Internet access.

As a future creator, my main goal and wish is for as many people to enjoy my creation as possible. Obviously, I would like to make enough money to pay for that creation and my other life expenses, but I don’t feel that any creator should be motivated by monetary gain. Money should be an unexpected fringe benefit for creation.

Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!