EOTO Response #1

Copyright Infringement JR Lee Global Network

Lee discusses his concerns regarding copyright infringement and elaborates on how digital technology and the Internet provide a great opportunity to reproduce and distribute unauthorized copies of materials. Lee states that the potential damage caused by this activity is indeed monetary. I appreciate that he made it a point to differentiate between the two types of infringement: direct and contributory.

For a moment, I'll be the devil's advocate here and say, "maybe some folks are unaware." However, I think we all will agree that this is mainstream news due mostly to the music industry and the huge uproar with Napstar. One of Lee's fears is that "the gap in understanding between copyright holders and copyright infringers impede cooperation to find sensible and reasonable solutions." In response to that fear, solutions were offered including "enhancing public awareness" through education and "creating a new business model" suggesting alternative ways in which the industry can adjust its business models to compete in the digital age. Both of these recommendations seem ideal. The question is, is an amicable solution possible? What ever happened to the days of borrowing a friend's new Metallica cassette tape? Metallica never seemed to care back then that we, the listeners and fans, were promoting their music in this way. I wonder what changed all that....why...I'll bet it was....money, money, MO-NEY!

Some pertinent links I found:

10 Big Myths about Copyright Explained

It Takes Time to Judge the True Impact of New Technology by Rob Pegoraro

New File-swapping Software Limits Sharers to a Select Few by Nick Wingfield