Cory has written an interesting article on where he thinks the recording industry failed to be flexible and the ramifications of that fateful decision.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/29/internet.digitalmusicThe original Napster had a fine proposition: they would charge their users for signing onto their network and write a cheque for as-many-billions-as-you-like to the record industry every quarter. After all, they had the fastest-growing technology in the history of the world at their disposal, 70 million internet users in 18 months, and they'd found that the average American user was willing to spend $15 a month for the service. The record industry sued them into a smoking hole instead, and out of the ashes of Napster arose dozens of new networking technologies. Each one was more hardened against monitoring and disconnection than the last.
The record industry will not be in charge of the characteristics of filesharing systems. They may get remunerated for their use, but they won't be able to dictate their functionality, no matter how many children they criminalise. If they want to cash in on filesharing, they'd better do it soon, before every potential licence fee payer decides to opt out of the system forever.
The battle for filesharing is not one based on obtaining copyright material for free, far from it, its the wish of the recording industry to monopolise
all music even when the artist has no wish to be represented or hand over their rights to these monoplistic organistions, and lets be fair why should they.
Whats important for us to remember in wishing to use filesharing technology is that we ask others to recognise the difference between copyright infringers and file sharers they are not one and the same despite what the propaganda engine paid for by the RIAA/BPI states, why should any industry be handed a monopoly over those who have no wish to use their services or pay their tolls and taxes to keep them in profit, this is just a plain fraud and extortion campaign and the politicians are certainly not doing all they should to look for fair and amicable solutions to the recording industries complants, stealing our rights to create revenue streams and false monopolies for commercial undertakings is morally bankrupt.
