| qoprowler.com |
The Prowler |
| Petty
Piracy Problem By Rohit Manaktala, Reporter Greg sits in his room drifting away to the newest beats in the hip-hop world, surrounded by posters of his favorite bands, while his wallet sits empty on the clothes-strewn floor. He has also seen Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, Terminator 2, and the Matrix 2, all in the comfort of his room without spending a dime. "It all began with Napster," Wayne Green, who deals with computer-related fraud at the FBI, explains. He is referring to a peer-to-peer internet file sharing system in which an individual can upload files to the internet and download others-- making it very easy to infringe copyright laws. In the beginning, it was only music, but in recent years the file-sharing has expanded to movies, books, pictures, and software--causing major companies such as Microsoft to lose millions of dollars each year. This piracy is stirring up interest within the Recording Industry Association of American and the Motion Picture Organization which have teamed up to send letters to colleges where the illegal file-sharing is most common due to the fast networks. Other top companies have come together to form the Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org), which is lobbying in Congress to make laws to prevent on-line file transfer programs such as KaZaA, BearShare, and AudioGalaxy. Congress, forced to deal with the intricate loopholes of the first amendment, has yet to pass any legislation dealing with the subject. Beyond Congress, local authorities have not dealt with the subject either. "We don't have the time or the task force to deal with such petty things such as piracy," Sergeant Gary Renniger, head of the Montgomery County Police Department Technology sector, says. "The world is a big place and we can't deal with all the small stuff. We are busy searching through computers for clues on murders or the whereabouts of missing children." Renniger explains that if someone reports a complaint concerning piracy, he tells them to hire a private investigator, file a civil case, or contact the appropriate company. Another Montgomery County police officer merely remarked, "Why spend ten or fifteen bucks on a CD when you can download it for free." Local police acknowledge a mere pettiness in this so called-crime and the subject is commonly overlooked by law enforcement. This attitude makes it unlikely to be punished for downloading items at home, but chances are not as good when downloading from school, explains Principal Daniel Shea. "Depending on the seriousness, a student's punishment could range from a five day suspension to a police referral and expulsion," he says. |