Oklahoma Residents Sued for Piracy

KOTV reports Record Companies Suing Oklahomans For Music Piracy. "In Oklahoma, eight cases ended with more than $34,000 paid to record companies."

That's an average of $4,250 each. For that kind of payout, they could have actually purchased about 4,250 songs at $1.00 each. There are also the "unlimited download" music sites. For $30/month, the pirates could have unlimited downloads for almost 12 years. For $10/month, the $4,250 would buy unlimited downloads for over 35 years!!

I'm not sure that these sites can actually pay the proper royalties for $10/month, but I'm pretty old fashioned when it comes to music. Growing up, I listened to 8-tracks, LPs, and eventually cassette tapes. I didn't get a CD player until college, and I downloaded my first mp3 yesterday. I doubt I will get a portable mp3 player anytime soon. So, it's easy for me to think of music pirates as "bad guys."

In my mind, there is little doubt that sharing files usually violates copyright law. However, in the Grokster case set to be heard by the Supreme Court later this month (March 29, 2005), I support the companies that enable file sharing. If you would like more information on documents related to the Grokster case, EFF is a good resource.