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Swiss Gov't: Downloading Movies and Music Will Stay Legal
wasimkadak writes "One in three people in Switzerland download unauthorized music, movies and games from the Internet, and — since last year — the government has been wondering what to do about it. This week their response was published, and it was crystal clear. Not only will downloading for personal use stay completely legal, but the copyright holders won't suffer because of it, since people eventually spend the money saved on entertainment products."
Copyright infringement may not be theft in a classic criminal court proceeding but it is a violation that can end up in Civil Court. Eliminate copyrights and you remove a great deal of the motivation for authors, musicians, and film makers to create and publish anything of worth. Authors can't focus all their attention on their writing projects if they have to commit time towards making an income from other jobs just to insure they can afford a living quarters, food, computers, and an Internet connection to to distribute their work. Musicians incur the same expenses as well as things like studio time, instruments, sound engineers, and other support personnel needed to produce their work. Entertainment film production can cost millions of dollars for equipment, actors, props, support personnel, CGI, and all of the other things needed to produce a quality film. Software related copyrights are in a "gray area" but those who create the software have invested their time and required an income to support their work.