Blog 7 (Illegal Downloading)

Last week in class, we talked a bit about illegal downloading of music. This blog will be about the illegal downloading of movies. One of the questions we discussed was: is stealing a song/album online the same as walking into a record store and stealing an album? Moreover, is illegally downloading a movie online the same as walking into Blockbuster and taking a movie off the shelf without paying for it? I think it is. What do you guys think?

Here is a link to an article that states alternatives to illegal downloading. One of the ways movie rental places is trying to eliminate illegal downloading, thus giving them more business, is by not charging their customers late fees. Not all places do that, though. Online rental sites were also mentioned as an alternative. One of the reasons I became a member of Netflix is that it doesn't charge late fees; and all the movie rental places here in town do. Then of course the article mentioned purchasing the movies. I don't purchase movies often just because I rent them, and that's cheaper. But if people do want to purchase them, they can likely get them for under $20, but that's still $20 more than an illegal download.

Not everyone opposes illegal downloading, though. The article also mentions that independent film directors support illegal downloading for the point of getting people to view their work. Chances are, people are more likely to spend money on something they know has a solid name behind it. Independent film directors don't always have that going for them.

In another small article here, the author says, "Critics say the effort does society more harm than good by creating a generation of young criminals." They compared it to the failure of prohibition. A little different, in my opinion. Often, I hear people say, as long as the downloaded music/movie/other file is not being shared or sold for money, it should be legal. How does that make any sense?! That's the equivilant of saying, "As long as the person who stole the movie from the movie store does not sell it, it's not legal."

Legalmoviedownloads.com tells us all we need to know about movie downloads. One of the points this site brings up is that a lot of people downloading these movies illegally don't even know they're doing so. Websites that claim to be legal are in fact, not. Plus, people in general don't know to look for signs of legality. When the internet started becoming mainstream when I was younger, I sometimes used Napster to download music. I didn't think for one second that it was illegal. Now, I know better, but when I was that young and the internet was new, it was just common for me and a lot of my friends to dl songs without thinking twice.

Do you think the laws for illegal movie downloading should be stricter? Do you think they're strict enough? Why do you think people are more likely to steal off the internet than physically walk into a movie store and shoplift? Do you think the main problem with illegal downloading is that people just don't know it's illegal?