The RIAA beat LimeWire in a major courtcase earlier this week because of LimeWire's inability to change it's policies so that it is a legal source to download music. As we all know, LimeWire is one of the simplest downloading sites out there. Like Napster, LimeWire allows users to download content from other LimeWire users- this concept for all of you who didn't take Art and Business of Recording, has a specific name, it's called "Peer to Peer" file sharing. Meaning, that once you're logged in anyone can download anything in your "shared" folder off your computer, which can be incredibly dangerous. It's sort of like how on iTunes you can listen to other people in your networks music, even though you can't download it onto your computer, it's accessible- LimeWire allows you to take it right off of the other persons computer.
LimeWire was held accountable for the following:
1. Their awareness of substantial infringement by users.
2. Their efforts to attract infringing users.
3. Their efforts to enable and assist users to commit said infringment.
4. Their dependence on infringing use for the success of their business.
and finally:
5. Their failure to mitigate infringing activities.
Basically, their getting in trouble for allowing users to download music illegally and turning the other cheek, acting like they don't know.
The RIAA is hoping to scare other companies into cracking down on infringing users.
-Samantha Corrie Schulman
No comments:
Post a Comment