| Comment Number: | OL-100048 |
| Received: | 12/15/2004 7:05:59 PM |
| Organization: | |
| Commenter: | Levine |
| State: | CA |
| Agency: | Federal Trade Commission |
| Rule: | Notice Announcing Public Workshop and Requesting Public Comment and Participation |
| Docket ID: | Not yet available |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
It seems to me that any restrictions out to be on the end use of the downloaded files themselves rather than the technology that allows P2P file sharing. If a mishap destroys my CD containing song X that I lawfully purchased, why shouldn't I be able to download that copyrighted song rather than be forced to purchase another copy? If I am a legitimate music scholar or historian, why should I be restricted in sampling music for my research? Simply branding the act of copying "unlawful" without investigating the end use of copyrighted files does a disservice to human progress. That is not how copyright law is supposed to function. This is just the discussion as to copyrighted works on P2P systems. Hopefully, no comment is needed as to why P2P technology can be invaluable for distributing non-copyrighted or public domain works as well. I should think that would be self evident.