Nobody that I know does illegal file sharing or downloading. Yea … right. But I do wonder why people who want good music or video’s or books can’t see that the producers of these artistic endeavors, the artists themselves, aren’t being paid for those products. For years, the problem has been of availability and cost.
Too many record producers are charging a bundle for artists albums that are at best mediocre. Unlike the legacy of the Rolling Stones, or the Beatles, who should command a high price for their albums, because they will invariably contain good music; but that can’t be said for many performers today. They sound so … everyone else; unimaginative, humdrum, and boring.
But their art is expensive, and that leaves too many people with the distinct feeling that they are ripped off. So one solution is that people download songs, albums, videos, books, and just about anything else to keep from paying those high costs. But one should know that the artists should be compensated; maybe not as high as a legendary performer or artist, but still compensated nontheless. It is the artist that is being “ripped off” by the illegal file sharing.
So it should not come as a surprise that Limewire has been taken to court, and now must face a shutdown.
Manhattan Federal District Judge Kimba Wood granted summary judgment to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the case of a 2006 copyright lawsuit against LimeWire. In her decision, Wood ruled that Lime Group, the parent of LimeWire software, which is the maker Lime Wire, and company founder Mark Gorton were liable for committing copyright infringement, induced copyright infringement, and engaged in unfair competition.
The RIAA was able to demonstrate that the illegal activity on LimeWire drove the downloads of copyrighted materials; limewire uses the Gnutella P2P network.
Where Limewire goes from here is still up in the air because there will be a meeting on June 1st with Judge Wood for a final disposition.
Source: BeckermanLegal.com
