Copyright Laws

The very first copyright laws came into existence in the late 1700s and have been of great importance to American society ever since. Copyright is actually a HUGE issue that the government must deal with on a regular basis, a concern caused especially by college-aged students. Four percent of all illegal file-sharing occurs on university campuses nationwide, forcing extra surveillance on the youths involved. Luckily, I am fairly ignorant of any new technology that attempts to help people get around copyright laws, which always almost fail anyway. Therefore, I am not worried about breaking any laws- but many of my closest friends engage in such illegal activity all the time. Part of this phenomenon is due in part to a general lack of information. What exactly is copyright? To quote Diane Graves, copyright infringement simply refers to an individual making use of, or “copying” another’s work, whether it be a piece of writing, art or other relating medium, without proper permission. This idea can be quite ambiguous and confusing and so reinforces advice to stay on the safe side of the law. If it is obviously illegal, then of course one should not participate in the sharing of files. If an individual is unsure about the legality of a particular protected work, it is probably best to assume a dangerous consequence and avoid doing whatever it is all together. In my opinion, the work it takes to download files legally is far less a hassle than to be working illegally. Even if one thinks they are cheating the system, he/she should be aware that the government is always checking up on new technology programs that may allow a user to skirt around the law; basically, a person at any point may be caught red-handed when that same system he/she was trying to dupe figures out what is really going on. So don’t be dumb- do the right thing and obey copyright laws. The punishment for copyright infringement is quite severe and may result in an empty wallet or at best, a bad reputation. Everyone should familiarize themselves with such laws, so they know what activities are safe and what activities should be stopped immediately. I really do understand why some think file sharing is the better option. (You can save money and download files with more ease.) But just because an individual may be lazy or cheap doesn’t mean he/she is not subject to following the law. If the activity you are about to embark on/involve yourself in is otherwise unaffordable or too much of a irritation, then just limit yourself and back out while you can. The risks in violating copyright laws far out-weigh the costs. Trust your instincts- if something seems wrong, then it is better to play it safe than sorry.