Open Internet

The internet is an interesting place, the ability to be able to purchase almost anything, watch/listen to any form of media, or just read a book online.

Many media services are offered for free, but the ability to "download" is not allowed. I have download in quotes because it is already being downloaded to the computer as it is streamed or buffered. What is preventing someone from just keeping the file that is being downloaded to ones own computer? Pandora and Youtube are a few of the most known media services that "prevent" downloading. Web 2.0 is a movement to push internet freedom, to allow for "true sharing", allowing the users to easily download.

This goes back to a previous post that being fluent in what is happening on the computer allows for downloading, while those who are not as fluent don't know they have to ability to download the media. Anything found on the internet can be downloaded. Many people may say that this is copyright infringement or stealing, but is is really?

The Copyright Act of 1976 states that it exists "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." So far, you have not tried selling or using it for financial gain so this is not copyright infringement; is it stealing? Let me make this an analogy: You are given one penny at a time until the full amount is given to you, once you have all of the pennies they are yours. Its like a Youtube video, every penny is a second of the video, you are given all the pennies; but if it was up to Youtube, after you are done watching the video or receiving pennies you have to give them all back. Who is really stealing?

We are at a time where many differing views are present about what should be done with the internet and media. Copyright also does not "protect any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the medium through which it is communicated." There are Fair Use policies that say how much of an original product should be free. Fair Use allows material to be "reproduced for the purposes of teaching", but that isn't straight forward either. Many factors are used to prevent that from happening. For example if it "effects the potential market value" it can no longer be used.

Some artists understand that the internet is changing what the copyright laws actually mean. Common sense should be used when interpreting it. Copyright laws were created to prevent the duplication of physical goods, but with electronic goods the ground is not longer black and white. Preventing an Open Internet, an Internet that is global, is like prohibition. It will get worse, more illegal activities will happen until it boils over.

One problem I have with companies seeking justice for "theft" on the internet, is that it is global. Copyright laws are not international, thus they should not apply to the same as if one was stealing a CD. In recent cases the RIAA has sued young adults for theft of songs for the price of thousands a song. Now if someone were to walk into a store, steal the CD, they would be punished less for physically stealing an object that could be sold. The product is no longer able to be sold, there is true profit loss. The person(s) online that get music the networks, may not even have any intention of buying the object, thus no profits are lost.

How the internet is governable, is a question that should be looked at more closely, and with a new set of eyes. As stated in previous posts, the eyes of the past are statistically not fluent with what is happening. I could go on for a long time about what is right/wrong and what should be done, but I will leave that judgement up to you.