MESSAGE
| DATE | 2004-01-06 |
| FROM | Ruben I Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Re: [fairuse] Copyright Lawsuite against the RIAA
|
http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsID=232657
Music To Recording Industry's Ears: Downloads Are Down By Ross Fadner
Staff Writer Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Subscribe Now Send to Friend Printer Friendly Reply To Editor Add to My
List Ever since the Recording Industry Association of America started
prosecuting unsuspecting college students with copyright infringement
last September, significant declines in music downloading and file
sharing have been evident, especially among college students and
broadband users.
According to a new nationwide phone survey of 1,358 Internet users from
November 18-December 14 by the Pew Internet Project (PIP), the
percentage of online Americans who are downloading music files on the
Internet has dropped by half. Furthermore, 20 percent of those who have
discontinued illegal downloads of music files say they have done so
because of the recent lawsuits.
Overall, the PIP data shows that the approximate number of music file
downloaders has fallen to 18 million (14 percent of all online users)
from the 35 million (29 percent) high point recorded during a series of
PIP surveys last spring.
Likewise, comScore Media Metrix data shows significant declines in the
number of people with peer-to-peer file sharing applications on their
desktops. From November 2002 to November 2003, among the four major file
sharing programs sampled in the PIP/comScore report, KaZaa's user base
declined 15 percent, WinMX declined 25 percent, and BearShare lost 9
percent, while Grokster lost 59 percent of their overall user base.
So where have all the prosecution-weary file sharers gone? Well,
increasingly, to paid online music services, according to comScore. In
November 2003, 3.2 million Americans visited the recently revamped and
repented for Napster.com. Apple's iTunes, which recently expanded its
service to the PC in October, also drew 2.7 million new Windows-based
users in November.
The percentage of file sharers of all media has also dropped since the
RIAA lawsuits. In a June 2003 PIP survey, 28 percent of users conceded
to having shared media files. In a similar survey conducted in
November-December 2003, the number dropped 8 percentage points to 20
percent of Internet users sharing media files.
PIP Director and report author Lee Rainie believes that a number of
factors have made the drop in file sharers who say they share music or
other types of media files less pronounced than the drop in music
downloading.
"This may reflect the large amount of media attention focused on the
recording industry's attempts specifically to curb music downloading and
sharing," Rainie said, "while efforts to target those who circulate
copyrighted images or programs have been less visible."
"Additionally," he continued, "There may be a fraction of Internet users
who are simply less likely to admit either downloading music or sharing
files due to the negative media portrayal of the activity."
While the factors contributing to the declines in illegal file sharing
are many and varied, almost every facet of the music downloading world
has been affected, according to the report.
The steepest declines in illegal file sharing, in fact, have been among
its most prolific and persistent perpetrators. Since May '03, the number
of college students who download copyrighted music has fallen from 56
percent to 24 percent. Among broadband users, 41 percent were
downloading music illegally in May, and now that number has fallen to 23
percent. The percentage of young adults aged 18-29 also dropped from 52
percent to 26 percent, while the number of Internet veterans of three
years or more declined from 30 percent to 15 percent.
Despite the fact that the RIAA can only prosecute a tiny fraction of
those who have perpetrated copyright laws, the proactive decision to do
so and the media coverage generated by the lawsuits have clearly
deterred a significant amount of would-be perpetrators from downloading
copyrighted music.
On 2004.01.06 13:14 Ruben I Safir wrote: > >
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3372859.stm
> > -- BBC NEWS > Consumers sue over anti-copy CDs > Major record labels
are being sued by a European consumer group over copy-protected CDs that
fans say are faulty. > > Belgium-based Test-Achats says new technology
that stops CD copying also stops fans playing them on some devices and
making legitimate back-up copies. > > The group wants EMI, Universal,
Sony and BMG to stop releasing copy-protected CDs and to reimburse fans.
> > But the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
(IFPI), a trade group, said the suit was baseless. > > The copy
protection technology was introduced two years ago by record companies
who faced a sales slump and wanted to stop pirated CDs reaching the
black market. > > It usually works by placing a layer of data on a CD
that only enables playback on a home stereo or portable hi-fi device. >
> But Test-Achats, known as Test-Aankoop in Dutch, said it had received
200 complaints from fans who were angry at the fact that they could not
listen to the discs on some CD players. > > Big-selling releases
including Shakira's Laundry Service and Radiohead's Hail to the Thief
were affected, they said. > > Test-Achats spokesman Mechels Ivo said:
"We are trying to establish legal precedent in this matter. Then we
expect other consumer organisations will follow." > > 'Protect' > > But
an IFPI statement said: "European law is clear that record companies and
other copyright holders have the right to protect their works through
technical means." > > Industry observers say the lawsuit is the biggest
European legal challenge yet to the music industry's practice of
releasing copy-protected discs, according to the Reuters news agency. >
> The lawsuit is expected to be heard in a Belgium court this week. > >
Warner Music is the only one of the five major music labels not named. >
Story from BBC NEWS: >
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/music/3372859.stm >
> Published: 2004/01/06 14:05:46 GMT > > © BBC MMIV >
__________________________ > Brooklyn Linux Solutions >
__________________________ > DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS
http://fairuse.nylxs.com > > http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting >
http://www.inns.net <-- Happy Clients > http://www.nylxs.com -
Leadership Development in Free Software >
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and
articles from around the net > http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html -
See the New Downtown Brooklyn.... > > 1-718-382-0585 > To stop the
messages from coming see http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/appl/fairuse/gone.html
> ____________________________ > New Yorkers for Fair Use - > because
it's either fair use or useless.... > -- __________________________
Brooklyn Linux Solutions __________________________ DRM is THEFT - We
are the STAKEHOLDERS http://fairuse.nylxs.com
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting http://www.inns.net <-- Happy
Clients http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and
articles from around the net http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html -
See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
1-718-382-0585
____________________________
NYLXS: New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
Fair Use -
because it's either fair use or useless....
NYLXS is a trademark of NYLXS, Inc
|
|
