P2P File Sharing: Think Twice Before You Do It

There was a time several years ago, generally in the time table when MP3 media became popular, that "Peer-to-Peer" (P2P) file sharing was not all that uncommon. Napster was the king of the hill before it was shut down and went legit, with Kazaa briefly taking over its place. Not only could you share music, it was well complimented with other file types such as MPG movies, ZIP'ed program files, images and more.

Although there was a lengthy court battle between Napster and the RIAA (Recording Industry Artists Association), the record companies won the battle. Although you may disagree with the court's final decision, keep in mind that this never would have happened if computer technology hadn't advance as quickly as it has. The theme that owners of copyrighted matter should have complete control over how their product is distributed or sold has been justified in the courts for decades and now it smacks the computer industry into reality.

While the major companies or P2P networks have been the mainstay of criminal and civil law suits, 38-year old Chan Nai-Ming of Hong Kong faces up to four years in jail for using a P2P program, BitTorrent, to distribute three movies to other. This sends a clear signal to all of us that companies and the courts are beginning to go after the smaller guy involved in such activity. Some who thinks that no one will notice, care or find out if they are involved in such activity may get a rude awakening one day with a surprise knock at the door from local authorities. Be warned!