This book is a guide – as its title might suggest – to all things digital when it comes to music.  It serves as not so much an analysis on copyright in the music industry as a whole, but rather as a set of legal and technical guidelines so that one may participate in the consumption and production of such music without infringing on copyrights.  In other words, it describes for the reader all of the ins-and-outs of the digital music industry so that one may know where in the law his practices may reside. 

            Hill’s book has entire chapters devoted to the assessment of what is legal, what is not, and how to go about participating in said sanctioned musical practices.  He identifies a list of acceptable file-sharing websites, and offers his own commentary on why others are forbidden, as well as why these are acceptable.  The book begins with a basic introduction into the technologies and methods used in the digital realm and then goes deeper to list available services and to comment on the merits of various practices.  His advice is clear and he condones no illegal activity, yet he makes clear why certain people might be motivated to circumvent copyright laws in terms of digital music.  He further lists specific file types and programs that are used in these practices and he identifies useful software.  He finishes the book with another broad chapter about the “Conscience of Digital Music” as a whole as well as his prediction of the future of the industry.

Hill’s technological knowledge is a key aspect of this book that has allowed me to delve deeply into the details of digital music production and sharing.  He explains these issues in simple terms, while still conveying the complexity of their implications.  In writing this final paper, the technological terms and details from this book will provide much-needed expertise in a field that I am not necessarily well-versed in.  In my analysis of the acceptability of digital sampling, I must first know how the practice works and what techniques are involved; this book offers me this knowledge, which is key to reaching a conclusion in my final paper on what sampling is acceptable within copyright law.

 

This article relates the common belief that software piracy is harmful both to the firms and to the consumers. Because of lower profits, with more people buying the copied products, the firms are financially hurt. Because of higher prices employed since their revenue of sales is cut, the buying customers are hurt if they do not purchase the copied products. The model that this article shows, however, suggests that even with significant piracy, firm profits will raise and prices will be lowered for the consumers. In addition, the article calls piracy an efficient "gift-giving" method. In other words, the product is made available to the public to increase its circulation, but it is only given to those who desire the product. The software does not end up being discarded by someone who has no use for it. The author compares piracy to mailing free copies to all computer owners in an attempt by a firm to make his product more well-known. Not only would many of the copies be discarded by those who do not want them in the first place, but the firm also would have had to pay for the copies to be made then distributed. With piracy, the firm receives free advertisement.

            Although this article deals directly with software and piracy, I found that its argument was relevant to my own. Just as pirates serve as free advertisement for the software firms, the pirates in the fashion industry help to circulate news of which are the most current and popular trends. The top designers do not have to pay for copies of their designs to be made known to the public in this way, and they are sure that those concerned about fashion are buying the copies.

 

The story of Linux and open source software is one of the most sensational tales of technology in recent history. What started as the brainchild of a handful of dedicated individuals (Torvalds, Stallman, et al) has ballooned to a multi-million-member movement that is both idealistically appealing and financially sound - just ask the multitude of companies relying on - or profiting from - the use of Linux. But this movement has created something of a parallel universe in the software world - one where intellectual property rights are turned on their head. While most companies in the technology and entertainment industries (which are increasingly influenced by each other) launch intellectual property battles on a grand scale, those behind the free software movement eschew protection of intellectual property rights and have created both products and business models that are successful without these protections. I take a critical look at the output of the Free Software movement (both products and business models based on it) and specifically the way that its views toward protection of intellectual property rights has affected that output. What is the nature of the free software movement and its products, especially with respect to corporate involvement and sponsorship? I show that although the free software movement has been successful in many of its endeavours, the ideal of a world where all software is essentially a community-developed public good, provided unrestricted and free of charge to everyone, is unrealistic. The free software movement is as helped by traditional software-for-profit business models as it seeks to overturn them. Futhermore, there are areas where the free software industry is especially hindered (although not doomed), particularly in the areas of entertainment and usability.

The consequences of the the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have hindered developments in computing by putting unnecessary blocks on academic researchers, journalists, and especially open source software developers. However, the limits on developing and trafficking code that circumvents copy protection has harmed copyright holders on the whole more than it has helped. In order to ensure strong and fair protection for copyright holders, an open standard Digital Rights Management solution should be developed and adopted.