Guest Opinion
September 2000
I’ll
take it
The owners of copyrighted material are not suffering, because I would not use these resources if they were not free.
Andy McGee, GnutellaNews.com
Gnutella is a distributed file-sharing technology that lets individuals make files on their own computers available to all other Gnutella users. Contrary to mass-media belief, Gnutella allows users to share more than just music. I can share a picture of Aunt Bernice. Or I can share my entire hard drive. That's a problem, at least in some people's eyes, when the files being shared contain copyrighted material.
Some might ask, "Isn't this file sharing the same as when I borrow my neighbor's software and use it?" Well, the concept is the same, but online you have millions of neighbors, and while your physical neighbor may not have a copy of that latest greatest game, chances are someone online has it and is willing to share it.
Everyone I know has used illegal software or listened to pirated music. Not because they are criminals, but because it is available and the consequences are minor—if any are applied at all. I don't believe that it is the right thing to do, but I also could not afford to do my job without it. Perhaps I could cut back in one place or another and save enough money for a piece of software. But why, when I can get it for free without negative consequences?
I could listen to the radio instead of pirating music, but I would rather hear the songs I choose to hear. In my opinion, the owners of this material are not suffering, because the truth is that I would not use these resources if they were not free. I could easily listen to the radio and survive. And I could also find open-source computer software that's free. But I choose to use the illegal material because it is being offered, like a carrot to a rabbit, and there is no reason for me not to take it.
Software and music are overpriced. The developers and artists would love to blame the high prices on piracy, but the real reason is because they want to make money. News flash—they don't get up every day and make software for the fun of it. As for the artists, sure, a few make music for the love of it. But if they got thrown onto the streets tomorrow, I doubt 5 percent of them would still be singing that happy tune and playing their music for free.
File sharing can be legal, but the majority of it is not. And although everyone else is doing it, that's not a good enough excuse if the authorities knock down your door tomorrow. But the reality is that the authorities can't prosecute all 20 million Napster users, not to mention the users of all the other sharing applications—Gnutella, Scour, FreeNet, CuteMX, and countless others.
Who would have ever thought that some day we all would be stealing, and be so comfortable with it?
Author information
Andy McGee is the editor of GnutellaNews.com.
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