. [They] didn't pay a dime for it . . .they’re not idiots. They know that they’re getting something for nothing. The gumball machine broke and all the gumballs are rolling down the floor. (Carlson A51)Along with the sudden drop in record sales, copyrightlaws are being tampered with. Ever since the printing press was invented, copyright arguments have been around. The wax recorder, the phonograph, the tape recorder, the videocassette recorder, and the floppy disk are just a few prime examples of inventions that held heated disputes over the copyright laws. Copyright owners have worked hard throughout time to stop technology that threatens complete control over sales and distribution (Sherman 17). Copyright is so important that it was placed into the Constitution to give Congress the power “to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries (Gibaeut 38).”Napster is making a profit off of swapping copyrighted music. Writer Joshua Piven comments, “20 million users are not simply swapping songs one-for-one; there’s clearly some copyright infringement going on, whether Napster wants to admit it or not (Piven 1).” It would be all right if Napster was reproducing small sections of copyrighted songs. Infringements on the copyright laws enter in when Napster created massive duplications and distributions of whole songs (Gibeaut 39).Copyright laws are given to the creator, artists, and author so that they have complete control over their works (Gibeaut 1). At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Napster was discussed. Mr. Scheirer stated there, “Americans need to know that a copyright exists so that the creator can get paid (Simon 1).” So what good is a copyright when companies like Napster give the copyrighted material out for free? The powerful music in...
