Is P2P file sharing bad?
There has been a lot of hype in the media about P2P file sharing being bad. It’s not so simple, though; it’s only wrong when you share stuff that you don’t have the rights to. We do not ban P2P software on campus, because there are legitimate uses for it; think of it like owning a gun. Guns are not banned simply because people might use them to commit crimes; only the crimes themselves are banned. The entertainment industry is very much against P2P file sharing, because as copyright holders, they are the main victims of illegally sharing files. However, musicians and actors are also hurt by illegal sharing; every album or movie that is illegally downloaded instead of bought means fewer royalties for them. On the other hand, many amateur musicians embrace P2P file sharing; by releasing their songs to be legally shared, they hope to gain popularity. Some software companies also make use of P2P to share free or trial versions of their products, so they don’t have to maintain expensive cen
