Ethics and Intellectual Property on the Internet - Blog Post 2

What issues were most important to you in determining which side to support in this conflict?

In regards to this growing issue of illegal music-downloading and file-sharing, I would side with the artists, authors, record companies, and distributors. Each of these peoples' contributions and hard work are the result of a successful song or album, but most consumers these days simply take without paying. I think this act of piracy is the equivalence of theft, and should lead to consequences similar to what would happen if a person stole an item from a store. Without their well-earned pay for each song, artists will suffer a lack of revenue, despite the common misconception that all artists are successful millionaires. Not only does this issue hurt the artists and authors, but this simple act of downloading music for free is against the law. The advances in technology is a significant contributor to this issue, since it makes internet property so easily accessible and downloadable.