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They say it's piracy.

Downright stealing from other people, that's what downloading is. You're taking something for sale and not paying for it. Do you shoplift, or break into houses? Why should you download for free?

And making media is hard. 3 million dollars just to remaster, print out, advertise that latest compilation. How will artists make a living? How will cultural pioneers keep going?

Wait a minute?

Maybe you didn't exactly take something from someone. Maybe you didn't really discover that stuff on a shelf. Maybe you weren't going to spend all that money on that copy-protected thing anyway.

And you're stuck

when you buy their media. Music you can't copy, films you can't tape. They lock your files with their custom-designed restrictions. They make sure you can't buy a different player. They're also building computers that call home to check which programs you run.

They're also changing the law. In several countries, it is now illegal to circumvent their restrictions – you own your DVDs, but only to some extent.

life's not read only cc by-nc Randall Munroe

What are you here for?

What's really important in life? At the end of the year, what makes it good to you? Good time with friends and relatives? Discovering a great album? Expressing your love or your discontent? Learning new stuff? Having a great idea? An email from someone special?

Probably much less: a larger number of pixels – a sleek but already outdated iPod – a premium subscription – a quickly absorbed pay rise – lots of Hi-res TV watching; That's good stuff we all enjoy, but in the end it doesn't quite count much.

Chances are, you're not going to be an exceptional astronaut. You're not going to swim across the Atlantic. You're not going to be a world leader. Life is right now. It's about sharing and expressing thoughts ideas and feelings.

Life is not read-only.

It's made of bits you don't buy with locks in them. It's not approved standard goods off the shelves. If you don't choose, try, taste, witness, think, discover, make discover, express, share, discuss, it's not worth a lot. Life should be read-and-write.

Remember

the copyright system isn't as legitimate as they want you to believe. Martin Luther King's speech I Have a Dream© is still copyrighted. You can't sing Happy Birthday To You© in a movie without paying rights. The expression Freedom of Expression™ is a trademark.

Filesharing

is turned into a crime. People are trialed and jailed for developing technologies that enable others to go filesharing (they call it: "Conspiracy to commit copyright infringement").
By the way, where are the guys who invented and sold VCRs, photocopying machines, and cassette players with a record button? Where are those creatively developing technologies that enable others to shoot people?

What a joke. While thousands work hard to make your kids want to smoke, or to export even more landmines, your copyright infringement makes you liable for $150,000 compensation per downloaded song.

They say, the music industry is endangered. Well, who wants an industry for music? Such an industry anyway? Some things are for canned food and cars, not for creativity.

Culture is not damaged when you copy something. Creativity is not hampered when you discover something. Whole societies are bettered when people learn and express things.

Participate. Enjoy. Discover. Express. Share.

So.

A reasoned society where artists can make a living and you're not a criminal because you share music is possible. A few suggestions:

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The author of this website does not promote or encourage unauthorized copying of media. This page intends to make you reflect upon the policies of media corporations and/or your government. Behave responsibly.

This website is not related or connected with any organisation, company or individual mentioned on this page.

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