Impact On Illegal Downloading

Today technology and science come to pervade every aspect of our lives. Internet starts to become predominant part of people’s daily lives. It provides abundant resources for people such as data, films, books and music, etc. So, “illegal downloading” appears——Many people download what they want illegally from some websites without paying any fee. It makes negative effects on copyright, encroaches not just on producers’ rights, but also customers’ and media industries’ benefit.

The worst effect of illegal downloading is copyright infringement. It is convenient for some people can download the book, music, film for free from some websites. However, this behaviour doesn’t respect producers’ works, because they download resources without getting any permission from producers or agencies or through legal ways. Some trade organizations contribute to protect producers’ copyright such as RIAA. It protects music producers’ right from illegal issues, especially focusing on using P2P software to develop music data on Internet. Some people share their resources on the Internet, but they do not realize that they have encroached on producers’ benefits. RIAA have sued more than 20,000 people who were suspected with sharing work which had copyright.

At the same time, customers’ rights are damaged in same way. Customers pay for what they want legally. It gives customers right to manage their goods. When others get the goods for free illegally without being punished, Customers’ legal rights suffer from the challenging. Some of them start to think it is unfair, and imitate this action to get some creative work and resources without paying. It becomes a trend which affect media industry negatively.

The most, but not the least, illegal downloading leads the economic in media industry decreased dramatically. RIAA points out that piratical music make music industry lose hundreds of millions benefits all around the world every year. Also, the Industry Canada mentioned: “For most performers, royalties from the playing of their recordings are not the only, and generally not the most important source of income. A 1993 examination of the Canadian recording industry found that because deductions to recoup production and related costs are so high, up to 80 percent of artists never recoup royalties. For many artists, the main benefit from distribution of their recordings is that it helps build their reputation and thereby contributes to their ability to generate future earnings through club and concert appearances and more favourable recording contracts. An artist's "reputational capital", which is a key determinant of his or her earnings' prospects, depends on music distribution in all forms, through broadcasts, CD sales, legal downloads and illegal downloads.” Producers cannot get the benefits they deserved totally. It is no deniable that illegal downloading is a very serious problem in people’s social lives.

Overall, illegal downloading challenges every one of interested party’s rights and benefits. Media industries also suffer from this issue seriously. 

Cite from：

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ippd-dppi.nsf/eng/ip01451.html

http://www.riaa.com/aboutus.php?content_selector=about-who-we-are-riaa