CallaFirestormBW
Posts: 3651
Joined: 6/29/2008
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quote:
ORIGINAL: pahunkboy
What jury is going to convict someone for a few songs? Especially when the jury likely did so themself.
If it is actually proven that the material was illegally downloaded and that the student in question did it, any jury really concerned with justice would -have- to convict, regardless of how many songs, and regardless of whether the jurors have ever illegally downloaded or currently illegally download.
The whole rule of law here is based on reasonable doubt. If the student can provide reasonable doubt that xhe was the one downloading or file sharing, there is the chance to avoid a conviction, but if the evidence is conclusive, the only -just- thing to do is convict.
This isn't a matter of "everyone does it" -- it is a matter of 'rule of law', and either the law is -worth- something or its not. If we don't -care- whether or not people download music, we need to eliminate copyright law, and make everything available to anyone who wants it. Musicians, artists, authors, etc., will no longer be able to make a living doing what they love... because nobody will have to pay for what the artists create.
I'm all for getting rid of the middle-man. Ditch the RIAA, SAG, the SWU and FWU -- let people distribute their art in any media and under any contract that looks right to them, or distribute directly to the customer (right now, if you don't belong to a big publishing or recording house, the chance of getting a 'bestseller' or 'hit record' is just about NIL). But saying that people should just be able to take what they want, without paying for it, is, in essence, saying that artist who take the time and energy to hone their craft shouldn't be paid for the effort they put forth, and that, too, is not right, IMO.
I am biased. I have three children who are artists, and I am an author. As it stands right now, as a genre author, and with the failure of a large number of print magazines, as fewer people read, more stuff is downloaded of the internet instead of being purchased or subscribed to, and with publishing houses going under, the chances of me being able to -ever- make a living as a full-time genre author are pretty slim. It is nice, though, to be able to earn a few bucks a year doing something that I love so very much.
The US, in particular, has become very selfish about our arts and our entertainment. On the one hand, sports 'stars' are signing multi-million-dollar contracts to toss a ball around a couple of months a year... on the other hand fewer of the arts are appreciated by 'the masses'. People don't read, don't attend live concerts... heck, in adjusted dollars, we're not even seeing as many movies as we used to. Sure, the box office dollar figures are higher, but each ticket costs substantially more than it did just 4 year ago -- and the money is mostly going into the pockets of the studios and the already-popular 'stars'... technicians, special effects artists, etc., get paid barely better than protocol writers at a hospital (who get paid less than a Blockbuster Video store manager with equivalent years of experience).
Turn the RIAA out on its ear... but don't screw the artists in the process by basically -stealing- their art and trying to justify it by saying that the RIAA (devil) made ya do it.
< Message edited by CallaFirestormBW -- 10/30/2008 1:56:45 PM >
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Said to me recently: "Look, I know you're the "voice of reason"... but dammit, I LIKE being unreasonable!!!!"
"Your mind is more interested in the challenge of becoming than the challenge of doing." Jon Benson, Bodybuilder/Trainer
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RIAA trial December, check mate? - 
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