File Sharing and You
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Contents |
What is File-Sharing?
File sharing is the public or private sharing of computer data or space in a network with various levels of access privilege. [1]
Files can be shared indepdendent of superficial networks and locations, therefore leaving your file accessible to other users in your community, your county, your country or even the world; the "Flat World" theory. [2]
This is more efficient and cost effective than using online storage as online storage requires dedicated servers, expensive investments in computer equipment, bandwidth and other resources.
In order to utilize file-sharing technology, one must ascertain a file-sharing application, which faciliates the transfer of requested data network-independent.
Cloud computing is an alternative to P2P (Peer-to-Peer) file-sharing, but with a fixed number of servers dedicated to file distribution, cloud computing is limited in resources compared to the near limitless world of P2P file-sharing.
File-Sharing Applications
Some common file-sharing applications:
Kazaa - Peer-to-Peer with in-line search
- Used common for sharing music, video, documents, videos, pictures and other file types
Napster - Peer-to-Peer with in-line search
- Used commonly for sharing music, video, pictures and other file types
Limewire - Peer-to-Peer with in-line search
- Used commonly for sharing music, video, pictures and other file types
uTorrent - Peer-to-Peer utilizing the BitTorrent Protocol
- Used commonly for sharing movies, games, videos, music and any other files
Information about the various file-sharing applications
Kazaa:
- An original and mostly music file-sharing application
- Settled for $100 million in reparations to the Recording Industry (RIAA) [3]
Napster:
- Largely known as the disruptive technology to the "Compact Disc" album. [4]
- Sued by Metallica in 2000 [5]
LimeWire:
- Open source, based on JAVA [6]
- Alternative "Frostwire" was started ... [after] LimeWire's distributor considered adding "blocking" code, in response to RIAA pressure and the threat of legal action, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.. [7]
uTorrent:
- Online Search engines, such as "The Pirate Bay" or "Mininova" or "BTJunkie"
- Torrent files contain 'tracker' information linking to file locations
- Downloads are in real-time and can be paused and continued later as downloads are done incrementally.
Legal Uses
P2P File-sharing can be used for legal purposes. In fact, it is commonly used in many ways for legal file sharing. However, due to the growth of the MP3 file format, "illegal file-sharing" took off rapidly from the 1990s onwards. [8]
When a user is looking for a rare file, such as a file virtually never requested and thereby considered part of the long tail [9], the user may want to look on P2P File-Sharing networks. That is because the regular channels for file distributions (large media companies) are often uninterested in satisfying the long tail demands, even though it can prove very profitable, particularly on a digital distribution scale.
How you know when a file you are downloading is legal for download, storage and/or distribution:
- Is it something you would otherwise have to pay for? If yes, it is very likely "pirated" meaning downloading it, storing it and/or distributing may be a violation of Copyright Law.
- Is it something that is otherwise free for distribution without restriction or fear of retribution? Examples are: Linux Operating Systems, Public Domain Files such as any photographs taken by the federal government, Creative Common Licensing is a good indicator that the work is permissible for free distribution. If it is free for distribution in all other digital mediums, you can very likely safely assume it is legal for download, storage and/or distribution.
Controversial Topics Surrounding File Sharing
- The act of downloading a file, even one which is copyright is not in violation of Copyright Law.
- A complete download and therefore storage of the file is generally perceived as a violation of Copyright Law.
- Use of Copyrighted material for certain purposes, such as educational presentations is generally perceived as permissible under the Fair Use Doctrine, which supersedes the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 2000
- The RIAA [Recording Industry Association of America], MPAA [Motion Picture Association of America], ESA [Entertainment Software Association] are collections of like-minded industrial groups, whose ONLY job is to lobby the government and file lawsuits in the interest of their constituents. Otherwise they can be known as special interest groups as they influence the agenda's of the United State's Government (this wiki is only dedicated to the issues pertaining to the USA) and sue entities or people in alleged violation of their copyrights, trademarks or other forms of Intellectual Property. The RIAA is most infamous for filing lawsuits against over 30,000 individuals, some with no merit whatsoever, with very few ever reaching a court. [10] These lawsuits generated a very bad reputation for the RIAA with claims to be losing "$12.5 billion every year" [11] in revenue due to illegal file-sharing. However, no major record labels under the direction of the RIAA have reported any losses, nor have any filed for bankruptcy since Music Piracy has been a concern. [12] There are numerous sites representing collectively "the people" in battles against the RIAA in particular. Links can be found under External Links to some sites battling against the RIAA in favor of the numerous frivolous lawsuits.
External Links
http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/
http://www.eff.org/riaa-v-people
References
All references have been made in full in good faith and can be found in-line with the text that was referenced from a particular site.