Ma, Zhaodong
Professor Klepper
English 113B
September 23,
2013
The Battle Between Internet and Copyright
Since internet was created, it became the
most effective and fast way to work and study. Internet change the way that
people used to live, while
at the same time people give internet more features to help people share their life. You can
find anything you want on the internet in few seconds and enjoy the convenience
and speedy. However, you may receive an indictment from someone or some
company saying that you are not legal to read or listen some materials because
they have the copyright. Thus you have to pay thousands of dollars penalty with
plenty of confused. There are many cases
like that. Innocent people search and downloaded some thing without being
stopped and they have to pay for their “fault”. Well in my opinion, anything
involved copyright should not be posted on the internet before it becomes
public domain, because internet is a huge stage which is helpful to spread
information quickly and at the same time it is also very hard to control. Although
it is protected by copyright law, no one can guarantee that it is perfectly
safe if people put their property on the internet.
Internet
considered as a free platform where people can share and find something
important or necessary to their life. If someone post anything on the internet,
people automatically think that they are willing to share with them. If not why
post on internet rather than save them in the flash or other place. More over, I
don’t think people share within a little group should be treated as copyright infringement
even though on the internet. For example, a single mom whose name is Jammie
Thomas was accused by record company because of
downloading music illegally and have to pay as much as twenty two
thousands dollars in 2006. The website which she downloaded music from named
KASA. People sign in and upload music which they are willing to share and
download music that other people shared. It was like a big house where family members
can share their music. If it is legal that people share in their house then why
it is illegal on the internet?
On the
other hand, in order to protect people’s property it is better not to post or
upload something that important. “Identity theft statistics are shocking! In the past five years, 1 in 4 Americans was a victim of identity
theft making it America's fastest growing crime. Identity theft
statistics indicate that this crime costs the government, businesses, and
citizens of America billions of dollars
each year.(white canyon)”. As
modern technology developing, internet was not the safe place anymore. People
trying to dig out information from others and use those information to achieve
their goal. “According to the Sunday Times, the hackers used stolen login details for a Postbank
teller and a call center agent to transfer about $6.7 million into multiple
bank accounts that were opened across the country late last year(Hackers Steal $6.7 Million
in Cyber Bank Robbery).”. Thus from the person who are
trying to post something involved copyright or other important information’s
view, it is better idea to keep your property away from internet.
Well no one can deny the fact that internet is a super big platform that
can help individual and companies achieve their commercial goal. Even though it
is very hard to protect their products from being stolen, they are willing to
try to sell those products online. Because internet is so flexible and visional
it is very hard to trace the person who steel or downloaded illegally. “The RIAA reports that music sales in the
United States have dropped 47 percent since Napster first debuted in 1999. The
availability of free music has cost the music industry $12.5 billion in
economic losses.( How Does Illegally
Downloading Music Impact the Music Industry?)”. Since internet is so complex
and huge, avoiding being hake or stolen is impossible. Benefits always go with
risk.
However, in some extent, piracy behavior
sometimes helps companies or individual gain benefit indirectly. “Finally, we could try to excuse this
piracy with the argument that the piracy actually helps the copyright owner.
When the Chinese “steal” Windows, that makes the Chinese dependent on
Microsoft. Microsoft loses the value of the software that was taken. But it
gains users who are used to life in the Microsoft world. Over time, as the nation
grows more wealthy, more and more people will buy software rather than steal it(free culture).”
In conclusion, I think copyright is very
difficult to apply into internet. Where there is someone sharing, there is
someone downloading. People always like
free things. If you want to connect internet with your products then prepare to
fight a battle. However, like I mentioned above, you may also benefit
indirectly. All in all, copyright is not necessary to internet because internet
born with free.
Work
Cited
Sarah
Jacobsson Purewal, PCWorld, Hackers Steal $6.7 Million in Cyber Bank
Robbery, http://www.pcworld.com/article/248340/hackers_steal_6_7_million_in_cyber_bank_robbery.html
Amy
Adkins , Demand Media, How Does Illegally Downloading Music Impact the Music
Industry?, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/illegally-downloading-music-impact-music-industry-27748.html
Lessig, Lawrence.
Free culture : how big media uses
technology and the law to lock down culture and control creativity
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