Many artists and companies argue that the distributors of content have the right to be paid for the work they transmit or create, and that music downloaders are stealing, plain and simple.
The stated aim of the "downloaders" in this case should not just be to re-define music sales and distribution, but to place the responsibility of securing distributed media squarely on the shoulders of the MPAA et al. At this point, the "media giants" have done an exceedingly poor job of protecting their content from unwanted distributon. To solve this they are now seeking government compensation for their lack of vision and technical expertise. If the enforcement of the DMCA does in fact become a reality, it could be the largest and most expensive case of welfare--corporate or otherwise--to date.
Slashdot Mirror
The stated aim of the "downloaders" in this case should not just be to re-define music sales and distribution, but to place the responsibility of securing distributed media squarely on the shoulders of the MPAA et al. At this point, the "media giants" have done an exceedingly poor job of protecting their content from unwanted distributon. To solve this they are now seeking government compensation for their lack of vision and technical expertise. If the enforcement of the DMCA does in fact become a reality, it could be the largest and most expensive case of welfare--corporate or otherwise--to date.
My $.02