Heeju Park
EW2 - 020
December 4, 2015
Should
People Who Download Music Illegally Be Punished?
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| 1. Study: Kids Download Illegal Music Because They Can |
As media industry becomes more and more
digitalized, downloading music illegally are reaching a serious level. It is
called “Songlifting”. The compound word “Songlifting” is formed from the words
“Song” and “Shoplifting”. [1] This is a problem related to intellectual
property. Was it so wrong for people who violate intellectual property to
punish? In my opinion, people who download or copy music illegally should be
strictly punished because it is to protect the right of the producer and consumer.
First of all, paying for the MP3 files we download is way to ensure the divine
right of producer and to punish these people is the only way to protect their
right. There is no difference between MP3 files and products, but people don't
realize that songlifting is serious offence because of the convenience of
internet. According to Statistics Korea, which researches about every area of
society in Korea, 74 percentage of people who randomly selected sample of 1000
people aged between 18 and 50 don't feel guilty for downloading music
illegally. [2] Also, Yougyun Ham, a professor at the School of
Digital Media Contents for the University of Konkuk, Korea, said, “There has
been either no proper punishment or minuscule punishment on the issue.” [3] Producers are having a hard time in music download
market. According to the analysis about music market development, which was
reported by Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) in 2014, revenue from
music download is two times less than 2008. [4] Some people who download or copy music
illegally think MP3 files are too expensive and rationalize stealing of digital
contents. However, pricing MP3 files for protecting their rights is essentially
right. Of course, people can purpose to adapt to suit price, but that doesn’t
mean it is free. Second, if punishment couldn’t implement properly, people who
paid MP3 files might be damaged. If they see someone who download illegally,
they would feel unfair and be more likely to violate the right of producer.
According to Statistics Korea, the rate of experience in downloading MP3 files online
in 2014 fell 21.8 percent and became 50.1 percent. [5] Some people say, songlifting is unstoppable
stream. However, unless they propose alternative way to use music files with
guarding the right of producer and consumer, their claims are harder to accept.
For these two reasons, in order to protect producers and consumers, it is
important to enhance punishment of downloading music illegally and to set clear
criterion for violation. I think relevant authority should shut down illegal
music file-sharing site and develop how to encrypt music files not to copy. Of
course, besides these punishments, it will be helpful to conduct a campaign or
to educate students to be acknowledged the seriousness of illegal downloads.
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| 2. 불법 음원 다운로드에 죄책감을 느낀 적이 있는가? |
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| 3. 한음저협, 불법 음원 담긴 SD카드 유통 근절 위한 캠페인 진행 |
<Work Cited>
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[2] 불법 음원 다운로드 인식 통계. (2014. March 14). Retrieved from
[3] Yougyun, H. (2012. October 10). Future of
Digital Media Contents.
[4] Revenue from music download. (2013. December
1). Retrieved from
[5] 온라인 음원 다운로드 이용변화. (2014. June 10) . Retrieved from
Reference Image by
1. Study: Kids Download Illegal Music Because
They Can - Matt Hickey (2007, Aug 13). Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2007/08/13/study-kids-download-illegal-music-because-they-can/ on November 30, 2015
2. 불법 음원 다운로드에 죄책감을 느낀 적이 있는가. (2014. March 14). Retrieved from
3. 한음저협, 불법 음원 담긴 SD카드 유통 근절 위한 캠페인 진행 – Sujung Yui. (2015, October 22)
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