OK, computer: file sharing, the music industry, and why we need the pirate party

• Adrian Cosstick
• PLATFORM: Journal of Media and Communication

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Image: therapycatguardiang / flickr

05 March 2010The Pirate Party believes the state and big business are in the process of protecting stale and inefficient models of business for their own monetary benefit by limiting our right to share information. The Pirate Party suggests that they are achieving this goal through the amendment of intellectual property legislation.

In the dawn of the digital era, the Pirate Party advocates that governments and multinational corporations are using intellectual property to: crack down on file sharing which limits the ability to share knowledge and information; increase the terms and length of copyright to raise profits; and build code into music files which limits their ability to be shared.

There are a number of 'copyright industries' that are affected by these issues, none more so than the music industry. Its relationship with file sharing is topical and makes an excellent case study to address the impact big business has had on intellectual property and the need for the Pirate Party’s legislative input. This essay examines the central issues raised by illegal file sharing. In particular, the future for record companies in an environment that increasingly demands flexibility, and whether the Pirate Party's proposal is a viable solution to the music industry's problems.

Image: therapycatguardiang / flickr