The Napster Debate- Written In January 2001, So Need Court Ruling Fact :: essays research papers

The Napster Debate When I first heard the word ‘Napster’ I had no idea what it was, I thought maybe it was a new insult phrase going around my high school. With time I figured out that Napster had to do with online music. I hadn’t seen much coverage on TV and was curious, so I decided to surf the Internet and check it out. Once reaching the site I found no music for sale, no discography or lyrics as is common with most music sites online. Instead there was a program available for download that allowed user-to-user transferring of music files. I went ahead and downloaded the program, not knowing that six months later Napster would have a tremendous influence and impact in the music industry, changing the way we view music forever. The Napster software, launched mid 1999, allows Internet users to share and download MP3 files directly from any computer connected to the Napster network. The software is used by downloading a client program from the Napster site and then connecting to the network through this software, which allows sharing (uploading and downloading) of MP3 files between all users connected to the network. Napster doesn’t own any MP3s, nor do people get MP3s through the server. It is strictly a go-between for user-to-user downloads (Gibney 1). An MP3 file is a type of compressed wave file. The advantage of MP3 files is that they are approximately one-tenth the size of the corresponding wave file and are very high quality. Many artists, record labels and other music industry stakeholders are concerned by the MP3 file format and applications because of the high quality and accessibility (Gibney 1). There are two types of MP3’s available on Napster. The first are legal MP3’s that are authorized by artists to circulate on Napster for promotional purposes. These MP3’s are often music selections made by up and coming artists trying to make their music more accessible to the public. The second type of MP3s are not authorized by artists. A Napster user with copyrighted CD material can create MP3’s with their computer CD ROM drive. Then through Napster’s software, the user’s homemade MP3 is available for trade ( MTV 1). Napster does not physically infringe any copyright laws, it’s users do. It doesn’t condone the use of illegal MP3s in any way, but at the same time there is no opportunity in the software to stop copyright infringement (Gelber 3).