Week 11: The ethics of P2P filesharing

Lecture-
The question of whether or not it is ethical to share copyrighted intellectual property online was discussed at great length. The consensus ended up being in favor of filesharing among the class. We also watched a film called "steal this film" which gave a brief history on information control, and how it has been fought since the printing press. This demonstrates that the struggle for homeostasis vs. transistasis permeates into every sort of feild, especially the struggle for control. The people with power fight against the inevitable to maintain their hold on the market, while the people use technology to aquire what they want in an easy and inexpensive manner.

Readings-
The Napster case was the recording industry's first real victory against the changing times, though it was shortlived. Now that millions had experienced how easy it was to get free music, they did not want to stop just because Napster had been taken down. After Napster was disbanded the market went underground, with other websites offering filesharing, such as Kazaa, and Morpheus. The case victory is a testament to people's inability to adapt to new technological methods, and devices.

Tutorial-
The ethical aspect of filesharing was discussed more, with a focus on the recording industry itself and how it mismanages the millions of dollars they make each month. The reason a lot of people have no ethical qualms over "stealing" from these companies, is that they are millionaires to begin with, and don't need the money as bad as they make it seem in court. So , my decision to practice filesharing has been reinforced ethically. Also the fact that the artists don't make as much off the album sales as they do touring is an effective motivator.