The tension brought about the application of digital technology, Internet and most significant of all, the consumers will provide the ‘drivers’ that the business needs, and when balanced will provide the benefits (Copyright and Digital Media in a Post- Napster World 2005). For example, the new business model adopted by film industries sees the distribution of their products via the Internet, and not via the silver screen (Copyright and Digital Media in a Post- Napster World 2005). This means of distribution will definitely allow a global reach of their products; however it also adds the illegal downloading of copyrights materials.

Though from a political standpoint that access to all digital information will be good for society in general, it also has to consider the copy issues raised by creators and producers of these. However, the digital providers of where these products are deposited does not necessarily toe the legal line, In addition, certain countries has no copyright laws, and as such raises the global issue of illegal downloading and piracy. In Canada, it is not illegal to downloading copyright music, whilst uploading these files is not. Musicians and songwriters are funded by levies charged on mediums such as blank CDs and others. The US is stricter and allows copying copyrighted music for personal consumptions only, and uploading copyright music for public consumptions would breach the laws (Beal 2004).


The legal procedures imposed on those digital providers provide peer-to-peer downloading and breaching copyrights laws has not been easy. There is a classic case of Napster, who was persecuted with being primarily accountable for allowing consumers to download music from its website. Though this company has closed down, its case has raised another legal dimension that consumers are also as guilty as the prime providers. Napster is fading away, but others like Aimster, Grokster, and Kazaa appeared, with consumers applying the same modus operandi of the peer-to-peer model, however, this time around, the secondary breach to existing copyright laws also should fall on the shoulders of consumers (Pornography, Technology, and Process: Problems and Solutions on Peer-to-Peer Networks 2003). Though the defenders of copyright laws infringement accused songwriters or musicians with inflated profits, the dimensions of further potential issues apart from the Napster case escalates further when the film industry has such large files of full movies being copied and downloaded from the internet. This indicates the dynamics of the new business model, the consumer behavior and the legal implications brought about to manage this trend and growth.

Despite the laws surrounding legal prosecution for breaching copyrights laws, studies shows that people continues to download, copy and uploads stacks of consumer items such as movies and music. However the study by the University of Dayton, published in the December issue of the NASPA Journal indicates positively that education on their students on issues surrounding illegal piracies of copyright materials, and other curbing efforts such as restricting bandwidths, exposing non-compliances and ensuring that students who agree to the campus policy has somewhat raised the level of compliance (Curbing Illegal Downloading 2007).



References:

• Beal, V 2004, When Is Downloading Music on the Internet Illegal?, online, retrieved 11 June 2008, from http://www.webopedia.com/didyouknow/Internet/2004/music_downloading.asp

• Copyright and Digital Media in a Post- Napster World 2005, online, retrieved 11 June 2008, from http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/media/files/wp2005.pdf

• Curbing Illegal Downloading 2007, online, retrieved 11 June 2008, from http://www.udnews.org/2007/02/curbing_illegal.html
  

• Pornography, Technology, and Process: Problems and Solutions on Peer-to-Peer Networks 2003, online, retrieved 11 June 2008, from http://www.copyright.gov/docs/regstat090903.html