How to Legally Fileshare Music

Filesharing music involves the exchange of MP3 and other audio files between Internet users. The legal issue in question is the infringement of copyrights held by record companies and individual artists. Luckily, music-lovers have access to a growing number of legally permissible ways to fileshare music.

Instructions

1. Peruse the Electronic Frontier Foundation's proposal for legal music filesharing that will pay artists their fair due (see Resources below). This intellectual-property advocacy group offers a number of suggestions for finding legal downloads while they lobby for new legislation.

2. Approach your student-government representative, if you are a college student. Illegal music filesharing and downloading is one of the preeminent issues on American campuses today, and these elected members are privy to information on the university's approach to the problem. They may be in a position to bargain for legal alternatives, such as a campus account with a legal filesharing site.

3. Make sure you understand the FBI's definition of peer-to-peer networks, which is posted on its Web site (see Resources below). If you download or upload to such sites, you could be penalized for copyright infringement, child exploitation or computer hacking. The Cyber Investigations division of the FBI also provides suggestions for legal fileshare programs and other approaches to the problem.

4. Contact your state and federal representatives to learn more about pending legislation on this issue. Your state government and the federal government are developing new statutes and enforcement mechanisms for persistent cases of illegal filesharing. By applying pressure on your elected officials, you can have input in determining what is a legal download.

5. Research consumer-advocacy and protection groups in your community. These organizations provide educational programs and information on a variety of important topics, including technological and intellectual-property issues. A visit to a consumer-protection organization's Web site or office can help you determine what type of music fileshare is legally allowed at present. A good place to start is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Download music files from major MP3 providers such as Apple iTunes. These companies have contracts with record labels and individual artists to distribute their music for a song-by-song fee. There are other providers who allow a certain number of legal downloads for a monthly fee.

• Review fileshare Web sites and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks to determine their relationship with music copyrights. A legitimate and legal Web site will contain a disclaimer about the legality of downloading its music files. People who download music from illegal Web sites can be fined up to $150,000 for willful copyright infringement.