The Road to File Sharing

Illegal downloading and file sharing on the Internet have been hot button issues since the days of programs such as Napster and Limewire, and one that the U.S. government has been desperately trying to get under control. They have even gone so far as to randomly prosecute individuals, mostly of college age, and charging them with thousands of dollars in fines to attempt to make examples of them to the majority of the public. However, will they truly ever get it under control?

The Internet is such a vast space that it’s hard to keep track of everything. Last year one of the web’s most popular file sharing sites Megaupload made the spotlight when its founder Kim Dotcom was charged with racketeering. This shut down the chain of Mega-themed sites that were under the Megaupload umbrella, but it wasn’t long, mere hours, before other sites were popping up to take their places. How much good does shutting down one site and fining one individual do when there are five more sites to immediately take their places? While the U.S. government would like to think this is an issue they can get under control, file sharing sites in themselves are not illegal, as paying users can use these sites to share their own original content amongst friends, fans, and colleagues. It’s also a good way to share content between computers if someone does not have an external hard drive. Or for universities to be able to utilize them for paper and project sharing between students and staff.

The days of the file sharing site are not short lived, as Kim Dotcom proved today at a press conference in New Zealand where he unveiled his brand new site which would take the place of Megaupload, simply titled “Mega.” It was a bold statement made by the entrepreneur and one that shows the government no matter how proud they may feel of one take down, the service that sites such as these provide is in high demand.

In addition to using websites there are a multitude of other ways that people can share content. It can even be argued that inviting friends over to watch a DVD is illegal file sharing because only one member of the party actually purchased the content. It would be no different than buying a movie and ripping it for a friend, either. However, with the Internet, it just aids in people reaching greater audiences. So instead of sharing with one friend, you can share with one hundred.

Whether people feel they can support their favorite music act and film franchises in other ways, or an individual doesn’t use these sites based on principle, it is certain that they will be creeping up continuously for years to come. While it may be a nice dream to get the dreaded threat of illegal downloading under control, the government has a long and bumpy road ahead of themselves. 

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indicted-megaupload-founder-opens-sharing-004242442--finance.html