Interesting Analyisis on the subject, however, I lean towards copyright infringment instead of theft. No one seems to mention the legalized theft which goes on daily for all peoples purchasing CDs. A CD cost probably less than a dollar to create, yet sells for 15.00 (out right robbery) of society as a whole (of course this is in my opinion).

True, the owner of any property weather it is real or intellectual has the right to sell said property for any amount he(she) sees fit and society as a whole certainly is not being forced to purchase CDs. Also, the owner has the right to recoupe initial funds spent on creating the product, but I do not ever see the price of CD's going down, once that CD has been deemed profitable within a certain percentage rate.

Since the advent of duplication technology someone has been whinning about being wronged. Cassette tapes were taking the bread and butter away from starving artists and from the industry itself, and Hollywood tried the same thing with video recorders. However one has to ask ones self just how much profit is enough? There will always be someone to purchase your work and generate royalities for you. Society as a whole does NOT do any damage to the profit system by duplicating and in my opinion the technology and sharing only generates more profits in the form of advertisments.

Hollywood certainly agrees. They found that their trojan horse has certainly been turned into a champion fighter for them instead of a defeat because they now earn as much on the Video rental sales as they do at box offices, yet in the 1980's it was nothing but a means to take the bread from their tables.

I also remember in the late 60's and very early 70's about how this EVIL machine called the Xerox copier was the Devil's own creation to infringe on copyrighted material and take money from the owners (not my analogy I assure you). What happened with that? Turned out to be businesses biggest asset in the office. What about the fax? I could go on, but the post is getting long.

This is not a moral post, nor is it a post to say that sharing files is right OR wrong. This post is to challenge the notion that file sharing in a detriment to industries. . . whether its evil incarnate, write or wrong is it is DAMAGING the industry, damaging the copyright holders, taking food out of the mouths of celebrities babies mouths. History records that every technology that has come along which delt with duplication was met with rabid, foaming at the mouth, critics who claimed that instead of making 10 million dollars they only made 9 million dollars.

In the end, in every case mentioned above, duplication has been proven to be a benefit not a harm and as I stated earlier, how much profit is enough? Does society really care about the difference of 9 or 10 million dollars when the average person comes up woefully short?

Dennis