FREE ESSAY ON NAPSTER VS RIAA

NAPSTER VS RIAA

Napster vs. Music Industry
Napster is an ongoing controversy on the Web. 
Napster is a software program that allows anyone to find their favorite music by
connecting them to the computers of millions of other users. It is the simplest way to
find the MP3s they want, whenever they want, and share them with the world's largest
community of music lovers. An estimated 20 million people have used Napster since it came
out last year. With all the people who support Napster, there are just as many that want
to see it shut down. 
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is suing Napster for copyright
infringement. RIAA found that 87 percent of the songs transferred via Napster are
copyrighted. (This case is currently in trial) Musicians such as Dr. Dre and Metallica
also sued Napster and now anyone who tries downloading their music will be banned. Dr.
Dre was quoted saying, "Downloading my music without paying anything is equivalent to
stealing food from my kids." Napster has been banned on campus servers at 40 percent of
the nation's colleges and universities. Copyrighted material being transferred through
Napster has also angered numerous labels.
Major labels, such as Warner Music Group, BMG Entertainment, Universal Music Group and
Sony Music have sued Napster. They already won one partial victory in the suit, when
federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel rejected Napster's first attempt to have the case
dismissed. Now the industry wants more: It is asking the judge for a preliminary
injunction against the company, aiming to stop a huge volume of recorded material from
being swapped through Napster while the suit goes to trial. 
Napster allows its users to trade MP3-format music files over the Web, which violates
music industry copyrights and robs artists of royalties for the reproductions, according
to the RIAA. Napster says it is protected under the fair use doctrine, similar to the use
of videotape recorders. Another argument is that Napster is used to preview music, so the
musicians who aren't heard on the radio and all the music channels have a chance to be
heard. Are these points good enough to sway the opinions of the people suing Napster? 
The term "bootlegging" usually refers to the 1920s and the Prohibition Era. There is a
new generation of "bootleggers" and instead of alcohol they use MP3s. "Bootleggers" are
people who download copyrighted music from Napster, burn it onto a CDR and sell the CDs
to make a profit. If this continues, how big of an affect will it have on the music
industry in the future? 
I'm not supporting either side, I'm simply providing you with some information and you
can make your own decision. 
Bibliography
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