Illegal
downloading strangles small business
By
Erika Jones
Online Forty-Niner
Chief Photographer
“Download Legal,” a Web site started by Brook Burgess, a law student
at the University of Alabama, aims to educate the public and end the illegal
act of stealing products off the Internet.
Students are downloading music, videos and movies for free more than ever before.
Many students do not realize it is a crime that cheats artists, actors and
staff members of money they rightfully earned in producing the products, according
to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Illegal downloading not only affects the entertainment industry, but it can
also drive small companies out of business.
David Murphy, a member of Download Legal, experienced this first hand. As co-founder
of Hotline Communications, an Internet software company based in Toronto, Canada,
Murphy’s company went out of business when customers stole products off
the Internet.
According to Download Legal’s Web site, $400 billion will be added to
the economy and $1.5 million more jobs will be created if illegal downloading
is stopped.
According to Murphy, this ensures more job opportunities and choices of the
kind of music people listen to. It also prevents artists from losing their
income.
“
You need every [dollar] you can get [as starting artists],” Murphy said. “You’ve
put work into it and [are] not getting paid.”
Illegal downloading can make computers vulnerable to crashes. According to
Download Legal’s Web site, 90 percent of computer users who download
software “unknowingly have spyware on their computers designed to record
keystrokes, which facilitates identity theft and fraud.”
Spywares can cause your computer to crash, resulting in possible monetary damages.
The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005 punishes illegal downloading
with “jail time up to three years and fines of between $30,000 and $150,000,” according
to the act.
Murphy said the fines depend on the severity of the crime, ranging from downloading
one movie to dealing and trading hundreds of songs and movies.
“
I legally downloaded ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ from Cinema Now for
only $1.50,” Murphy said. “I accessed it legally, conveniently
from home and it’s cheaper than Blockbusters. And I did it guilt free.”
Murphy advises students not to illegally download music or movies off the Internet.
“
It hurts small, young struggling artists and entrepreneurs,” Murphy said. “It
hurts the future Steven Spielbergs at CSULB.”
|
