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laarni080 · 02-04-2007, 04:53 AM

The legality of downloading MP3 files is not clear-cut. There have been lawsuits filed against the providers of copyrighted content, but not much has been done about people who just download and play the songs. It usually would be considered illegal if you downloaded and kept a copy of someone else's music that had been copyrighted. The laws stated about copyrighted content, have sections about acceptable use however, and a fair argument could be put forward about the use of MP3 files being legal.

There are some legal statements on MP3 sites stating that it is legal and okay to download music and keep it for 24 hours only, for perhaps educational purposes or just to hear what a song is like.

When on an internet site, sometimes it can be hard to tell whether the music on offer is legal, and has been submitted by the artists themselves, or whether music has been copied from a copyrighted CD and published. The easiest way to tell is to see if you recognize any popular artists such as Blink 182 or the Backstreet Boys. These types of bands usually have recording contracts and their music IS copyrighted.

Different countries do have different laws relating to copyright, and so hosting music on a server in another country may be legal. As the internet is worldwide, it would be impossible to enforce strict rules relating to copyright unless every country agreed.

The owners of the music get paid from live concerts they perform and the sales of their music (both singles and albums). Currently artists get very little money from sales of their music (about $2) as the recording company takes most of the profits. MP3 files have provided two benefits here: they provide additional exposure that growing artists often need, and they provide a different way for artists to distribute their music, generating higher revenues without giving most of it away to recording companies. They can charge a lower amount for their music, and make a larger profit on it - benefiting consumers also.

The MP3 format is essentially doing more good than it is harm, despite its bad reputation in the media. The idea of online distribution is currently being explored and although the exact MP3 format may not be used in the future, the basic concept and idea will be.

02-04-2007, 04:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
laarni080 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 50	MP3 - Legality of Downloading The legality of downloading MP3 files is not clear-cut. There have been lawsuits filed against the providers of copyrighted content, but not much has been done about people who just download and play the songs. It usually would be considered illegal if you downloaded and kept a copy of someone else's music that had been copyrighted. The laws stated about copyrighted content, have sections about acceptable use however, and a fair argument could be put forward about the use of MP3 files being legal. There are some legal statements on MP3 sites stating that it is legal and okay to download music and keep it for 24 hours only, for perhaps educational purposes or just to hear what a song is like. When on an internet site, sometimes it can be hard to tell whether the music on offer is legal, and has been submitted by the artists themselves, or whether music has been copied from a copyrighted CD and published. The easiest way to tell is to see if you recognize any popular artists such as Blink 182 or the Backstreet Boys. These types of bands usually have recording contracts and their music IS copyrighted. Different countries do have different laws relating to copyright, and so hosting music on a server in another country may be legal. As the internet is worldwide, it would be impossible to enforce strict rules relating to copyright unless every country agreed. The owners of the music get paid from live concerts they perform and the sales of their music (both singles and albums). Currently artists get very little money from sales of their music (about $2) as the recording company takes most of the profits. MP3 files have provided two benefits here: they provide additional exposure that growing artists often need, and they provide a different way for artists to distribute their music, generating higher revenues without giving most of it away to recording companies. They can charge a lower amount for their music, and make a larger profit on it - benefiting consumers also. The MP3 format is essentially doing more good than it is harm, despite its bad reputation in the media. The idea of online distribution is currently being explored and although the exact MP3 format may not be used in the future, the basic concept and idea will be.