Ethics and Intellectual Property on the Internet - Blog Post 1

The CQ Researcher reading (Future of the Music Industry) is an article that basically discusses the growing availability of music that can be downloaded for free off the Internet and its consequences for both the artists and labels. It provides a lot of facts about illegal downloading and its impact on society over the years. It includes commentary and opinions from typical downloaders to celebrity artists themselves. The 2nd reading (Is music downloading the new prohibition? What students reveal through an ethical dilemma) is a study rather than an article of facts. It examines the attitudes and perceptions of college students that are actively engaged in music downloading. It relates music downloading to ethical issues and provides questions asking our own opinion of certain scenarios. Results of the report show that there is a vast range of actions and feelings toward digital downloading. The participants' opinion on the issue and their recommendations for a situation don't match up with each other. This proves that as technology evolves, it creates conflict between the way things should be and the way the law expects them to be.