Transcript Presentation

Pirates of the Internet
Introduction - Francisco Escobar
 What is Copyright Infringement?
 Copyright infringement in the classical sense is the
unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted material.
 This particular topic, while interesting, is not the topic
of our research. Instead, we will discuss copyright
infringement in terms of electronic media.
Copyright Infringement…
 …in terms of electronic media is defined as the
unauthorized reproduction and distribution of said
media.
 It is commonly referred to as "piracy" and is a topic of
quite some debate.
 We will discuss several topics in our presentation
pertaining to this piracy, from both sides of the debate
on the legality and morality of the issue.
Illegal Music Downloading – James
Woplert
 Music downloading is a trend that is everywhere in
society today, both in legal and illegal forms.
 Through services such as iTunes, and band specific
programs, one can easily legally obtain many songs.
 Through “services” such as BitTorrent, one can obtain
the same songs for free, illegally.
Music Downloads
 Around 2 billion dollars in revenue are generated by
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the industry today.
In 2006, 509 million songs were legally downloaded
online.
In that same year, 5 billion songs were illegally
downloaded.
That is equal to approximately 38,000 years of music.
Music is not the only pirated media form, as you will
soon see.
Illegal Downloads of Other Media –
Nick Rial
 Most computer software is copyrighted.
 This does not deter a thriving illegal software
downloading community.
 These programs are downloaded using the same
programs to download music illegally (“torrent”
programs which use a peer to peer method of file
transmission).
Piracy in Other Electronic Media
 Movies and video games are also downloaded with a
similar regularity.
 Audio-visual piracy can also take the form of the
duplication of DVD’s and the distribution of physical
copies thereof.
 These extremely cheap copies (some selling as low as
$1 each copy) are often sold in countries where
copyright law is either ignored completely or a legal
grey area.
Prosecution of Piracy – Pros and
Cons
-Trevre Cusma
 The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is
at the forefront of the anti-piracy movement, and hold
quite clearly that pirates need to be punished.
 The RIAA says it targets 700-750 individuals monthly, in an
attempt to deter piracy.
 It’s method of targeting these individuals has some flaws,
occasionally leading to the accusation of such unlikely
targets as those without a computer at all, and the
deceased.
 Nevertheless, the RIAA has settled out of court with many
defendants for sizeable sums.
The Anti-Copyright Movement
 Those opposed to the copyright laws as they relate to
the internet cite the fact that these laws were designed
to let creativity flourish by providing artists a source of
income.
 These laws, argue the anti-copyright movement,
instead inhibit creativity, and are outdated in
electronic media.
 They argue that the laws create an “intelectual
monopoly”, weakening the incentive for creativity and
increasing it’s cost.
Conclusion – Seung Lee
 The infringement of copyright laws is one that is not as cut
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and-dried as the opposing sides may think.
There are many arguments for and against the
downloading of digital media, and the legality thereof.
Those against so-called “piracy” see it as outright theft, and
an infringement of the rights of those who create this
media.
Those against copyright laws see them as obstacles in the
path towards greater diffusion of knowledge and greater
creativity, and hold that the laws for copyright must be
updated for the digital age.
We will leave who’s right and wrong in this debate up to
you, the listeners.
THE END
 Thank you!
 Work Cited:
 Wikipedia. Web. 30 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.wikipedia.com>.