CARY SHERMAN is the president of RIAA, the group that sued.
YES! Not everything on the Internet is free. Using some services can get kids into trouble. Music file-sharing services may seem harmless, but they are not. They are harmful to artists and legally dangerous to the kids who use them. These networks allow you to download, or share, copyrighted music free of charge, without the permission of the musicians and record labels who worked hard to create the songs. It's no different than shoplifting a CD from a store. That's against the law, and the penalties for breaking the law can be stiff, including big fines. Our group has been forced to go to court to charge some major violators who were illegally sharing a lot of computer music files with millions of computer users.
Our words of advice: Don't break the law. It could get you into serious trouble. Respect the people who have created your favorite music.
JOHN SNYDER is a Grammy-winning music producer.
NO! The recording industry should offer an easy, inexpensive way to download music rather than sue kids. Sales of CDs and company profits are down. The industry blames this on downloading by kids. But sales are decreasing for many reasons--not just because people are sharing music files online. CDs are too expensive and have only a few good songs (on them). The record business has released fewer CDs and raised prices as competition has increased from DVDs and video games. Could it be that high prices and a limited selection are at least partially responsible for the drop in CD sales? Or is it easier to blame kids for bad business decisions?
It's not simple. Downloading is illegal, so don't do it for now. But laws are made by people and can be changed by people. Old copyright laws shouldn't apply to new technology.