WASHINGTON -- The recording industry seems to believe that there is no greater enemy of all that is good and wonderful than peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technologies. Thus the Recording Industry Association of America's campaign to sue grandkids and grandparents who violate copyrights by swapping songs.
The RIAA is within its rights to challenge lawbreakers, no matter how minor. Not legitimate is its lobbying campaign in Washington to shut down the P2P business. Ultimately individuals, not technologies, such as the KaZaA Media Desktop, are to blame for copyright violations. Copyright-cheaters have been around since copyrights were created. New technologies -- photocopiers, tape recorders, VCRs, DVDs, and P2P software -- have simply made it easier to illicitly copy protected works.
Industry has occasionally demanded heavy-handed restrictions on, and even prohibitions of, technological innovation, but more often has worked to increase awareness of and compliance with the law. Firms also have cut prices and developed new markets, such as Apple's iTunes Music Store, which charges for music online.