The Importance Of File Sharing In The Internet

In today’s digital world, the process of creating, discovering and sharing knowledge as well as the avoidance and misuse of file sharing often tests the limits of technology. Computer networks throughout college campuses frequently reproduce and distribute copyrighted music, movies, books, television shows, and software through the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. A peer-to-peer, or “P2P,” file transfer service allows the user to share computer files through the Internet. (https://www.nsf.gov/oig/peer.pdf) Peer-to-peer services such as KaZaA, The Pirate Bay, Grutella, RapidShare, Morpheus and BearShare all allow users to search for and download files to their computers while also enabling the sharing of files by downloading material to another …show more content…
Both the First-Sale Doctrine and the Fair Use Act have provided a safe and legal means for intellectual property to be shared amongst users. Person-to-person technology has also allowed a workable, safe and legal way of sharing files yet; there remains a need for the balance of industry standards and citizen interests in the curtailing of illegal P2P sharing. In submission to court sanctions involving the illegal use and forfeiture of file sharing, measures taken should ultimately be deemed disproportionate because of the uncertainties regarding the negative implications for internet users and possibly more important, the benefits that are inherently produced for various creative industries. Online user intentions along with behaviors with respect to copyright infringement laws present a difficult and shady legal liability in the future development of technology and the Internet. Future developments of the law may therefore rely on the way Internet users along with developing technology experience and experiment with digital content, which ultimately build upon a sharing/participating online