P2P File Sharing

              Over the past decade, the Internet has provided a great place for individuals to get instant and free access to millions of songs, movies and other media files. Although, it is illegal to download most of this copyrighted content free of charge, many participants have faced little to no repercussions for such actions, accept for an unlucky few. File sharing is the ability to transfer or share files from one computer to another through a network. In this specific case consumers (like you and me) only download or consume content, while suppliers only supply it.  P2P file sharing in contrast, is short for peer to peer and its system directly connects users without them having to connect to a central server. By doing this, it eliminates centralized control and creates an environment where users are both contributors and clients, as they both download and share files.

                An example of P2P file sharing is the site Kazaa, which Daniel Kreps talks about in his article “Minnesota Mom Hit with $1.5 Million Fine for Downloading 24 Songs.” In it he recalls the harsh penalties for those caught downloading illegally. In this specific case, a mom of four was charged with illegally downloading music on the P2P site Kazaa. Fortunately, because many major label companies did not want the bad press, they were willing to settle out of court for $25,000, which would roughly cost the mother $1,041 per song. Of course sites such as Kazaa and others, like Limewire, are considered by many today as old and outdated. In fact Limewire another P2P site, was recently shut down by the government due to various copyright infringements. Many people are now turning to new and popular P2P programs such as Bit Torrent and Rapidshare to fulfill their file needs. 

                I believe that the answer to the major issues involving file sharing will be settled in the near future. Sites such as Rhapsody seem to be providing an interesting answer to the problems surrounding music downloads. The site offers unlimited downloads for a fixed monthly fee. Innovative and creative ideas such as these will continue to be pursued by companies in the years to come and a decade long battle may hopefully come to an end.