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The Evolution of Online Piracy of Music

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to our site on the evolution of online piracy of music. As a part of GVPT 333: Information, Technology & Society, our group studied how new technology has influenced the increase in music piracy and the litigation that has ensued. Our studies have shown that online piracy of music has been and continues to be a huge problem for the music industry. Over the past few years there has been a marked increase in the piracy of music due to new technologies that facilitate the downloading and sharing of music. MP3’s are one type of technology that has greatly influenced the act of music piracy. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), a group that represents artists as well as the music industry, became extremely concerned with copyright violations, which ultimately lead to losses of revenue. The RIAA and founders of music sharing technology soon became entangled in massive litigation that eventually ended up before the Supreme Court. The main technological player, Napster, suffered a huge setback when they were deemed in violation of copyright laws. Although this was a huge win for the record industry, new technologies were soon developed and piracy of music continues to remain strong. As the battle keeps evolving, we can look forward to more litigation and newer technologies from both the record industry and the music sharing program companies.

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LAST MODIFIED: December 12, 2001