File Sharing
...
changed the days of going to the record store to purchase music. Now we are able to link to
millions of music lovers around the world by hopping on our computers, getting on the interenet
and by using a file-sharing program called Napster. Now many questions arise: Is it stealing
from the artists or is it stealing from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)? It
also brings about the questions of how "free" the internet should be. Where do we even begin
to regulate this giant beast called the World Wide Web?
The way this technology works is it allows internet users to share and download MP3
files directly from any computer connected to the Napster network. The software is used by
downloading a client program from the Napster site and then connecting to the network through
this software, which allows sharing (uploading and downloading) of MP3 files between all users
connected to the network. While Napster does not condone copyright infringement, there is no
opportunity in the software to stop this, or for royalties to be paid to artists whose songs are
being duplicated for free.
Unlike similar file-sharing applications (Gnutella, Freenet), Napster limits users to
uploading/downloading of MP3 files only. These files are compressed wave (.wav) files. The
advantage of MP3 files is that they are approximately one-tenth the size of the corresponding
.wav file and can be close-to-CD-quality. It is for this reason that many artists, record labels
and other music industry stakeholders are concerned by the MP3 file format and applications
like Napster that...
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