IS SHARING FILES ON THE INTERNET A CRIME IF THE FILES ARE COPYRIGHTED?

IS SHARING FILES ON THE INTERNET A CRIME IF THE FILES ARE COPYRIGHTED?













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November 4, 2002

Is sharing files on the Internet a crime if the files are copyrighted? This can be answered by many different people and in many different ways. The real answer that the record companies want to hear is that it is illegal and anyone doing it should be put in jail for stealing. They say that downloading something that is copyrighted off the Internet or from another person’s computer and using the file without paying for it is just the same as going in to your local Best Buy and taking a CD off of the shelf and running out the door with it. That is a really hard way to look at what is happening, because almost all of the people downloading music, videos, and other files for free would never take something off of a shelf, stick them under there shirt and leave the store without paying for it. Most of th...