Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Internet
Internet
Slow
Fast
(a)
(b)
FIGURE 4.11
(a) Broadband Internet connections provide higher speeds for downloading
than for uploading. (b) BitTorrent reduces downloading times by enabling a computer to
download different pieces of a file simultaneously from many different peers.
In April 2003, the RIAA warned Grokster and Kazaa users that they could face legal
penalties for swapping files containing copyrighted music. The message read, in part:
It appears that you are offering copyrighted music to others from your com-
puter....Whenyoubreakthelaw,yourisklegalpenalties. There is a simple way
to avoid that risk: DON'T STEAL MUSIC, either by offering it to others to copy or
downloading it on a 'file-sharing' system like this. When you offer music on these
systems, you are not anonymous and you can easily be identified. [84]
The RIAA identified the IP addresses of the most active Kazaa supernodes, leading
it to the ISPs of users who have stored large numbers of copyrighted files on their com-
puters. Under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the RIAA subpoenaed
Verizon, asking it to identify the names of customers suspected of running these Kazaa
supernodes. Verizon resisted responding to the subpoenas, claiming that responding to
the subpoenas would violate the privacy of its customers. In June 2003, a judge in Wash-
ington, DC, ruled that Verizon had to release the names of these customers [85].
In September 2003, the RIAA sued 261 individuals for distributing copyrighted
music over the Internet [86]. A month later the RIAA sent letters to 204 people who
had downloaded at least 1,000 music files, giving them an opportunity to settle before
being sued by the RIAA [87].
In December 2003, the RIAA suffered a setback when the US Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that Verizon did not have to respond to the sub-
poenas of the RIAA and identify its customers [88]. Still, there is some evidence the
RIAA lawsuits reduced illegal file swapping across the Internet. A survey from ComScore
reported activity on Kazaa declined by 15 percent between November 2002 and Novem-
ber 2003 [89]. The Pew Internet & American Life Project reported that the percentage of
