With the ever increasing convenience of the internet, file sharing have long since easily available. Want to watch a movie that you have missed? How about that new song by Beyonce? Or fancy a new game? All these, believe it or not, can be found "downloadable" online, if you know where to look. With the advent of file sharing, what people fail to realise is that, by downloading these materials could get you involved with the law. Thats right, I'm talking about Copyright laws.
Just what are the Copyright Laws?
Copyright is a protection that covers published and unpublished literary, scientific and artistic works, whatever the form of expression, provided such works are fixed in a tangible or material form. (What is Copyright Protection, 2003) Simply put, Copyrights literally mean "the right to copy" an original creation. It is however, not designed or intended to cover the actual idea, concepts, facts, styles, or techniques which may be embodied in or represented by the copyright work. (Copyright, 2007) Mainly, copyright laws grant the creator the exclusive right to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute, perform and display the work publicly. Exclusive means only the creator of such work, not anybody who has access to it and decides to grab it. (What is Copyright Protection, 2003)
How does it affect the content creators and us?
Content creators have long since battled the war of content sharing and fair use. Whether it is a book or a soundtrack, both are easily availble online. Especially soundtracks, where copyright laws state that copying is not illegal, distribution, however, is. (What is Copyright Protection, 2003) So it does not matter if you made yourself a copy of a CD for your own use, however giving it to someone else, or worse, selling it, would infringe on Copyright laws.(Brady, 2007)
What can be done?
Because lines are are constantly blurred when it comes to the copyright of different media, there should be a clear rule against the illegal distribution of any type content. Also, copyright laws, according to the Berne Convention, protects the content for a general and minimum period that lasts the life of the author and fifty years after the author's death. This too, should be modified to a shortened timespan. For what good is it to the authors if their work is protected even after they are dead? (Copyright, 2007)
In all, copyright laws should be enforced more clearly and be stricter on violators, especially with the increasing convenience of the internet. This is because, many people think that content online is a "free-for-all". However, just because content is freely available online, does not mean it can be freely copied or distributed. Unless the owner has expressly relinquished his rights, those rights are reserved by default. (Brady, 2007)
Laws should be clearly spelt out and be general across the board to avoid confusion. If I can download music tracks for my own use, does that mean that I could download movies as well? I probably can't because copyright laws only make exceptions for music tracks. Education about the laws are crucial in avoiding a brush with the law. Ignorance is not an excuse with regard to copyright laws. It's main principle, in fact states that "Ignorance of the Law does not make one exempt from compliance thereof." (What is Copyright Protection, 2003)
Lastly, harsher punishment for violators would set an example to those who are harboring thoughts of content infringement. Also, it shows that no matter if you are in the comfort of your own home, online, by violating the copyright law, you are still liable and would be found and procecuted
With regard to how to accomodate both content creators and the general public under copyright laws, it would be advisable to make a portion of the content available. In that, creators should allow a sample of the content be made available to the public. This would not only be legal but also entice the public to purchase the rest of the content.
Conclusion
To end, copyright laws draw a very fuzzy line between what is available and what is not. In a "better-to-be-safe-than-sorry" situation, it is just safer just not use other people's work and if need be, to always credit your sources. And if you really have to download your favourite music track, please, don't go make a business out of it.
References
Kevin S. Brady (2007). "Copyright FAQ: 25 Common Myths and Misconceptions". Retrieved 31st January, 2007 from http://users.goldengate.net/%7Ekbrady/copyright.html
What is Copyright Protection (2003). In WhatisCopyright.org. Retrieved 31st January, 2007 from http://www.whatiscopyright.org/
Copyright (28 January, 2007). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 31st January, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Copyright&oldid=104140398
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
COM 125 WEEK 2: Instant Messaging
Stemmed from it's still popular cousin, the internet relay chat (IRC), instant messaging plays an integral part in the evolution of the internet. What started of as just a form of text based communication between people on a local network has blossomed into a network that connects a user to people from all over the globe. Or where ever there is access to an internet connect.
Early instant messaging began in the 1970s. Set up on multi user platforms like UNIX,
it was initially used to facilitate communication between the users provided if there were on the same local network.
In the 1990s, due to the rising popularity of the internet, instant messaging had a major overhaul. Modern GUI-based messaging clients completely changed the way how instant messaging windows looked. On the UNIX systems, instant messaging windows were based inside a console window, however, on the new GUI-based clients, messaging windows were running as software applications. One of the more popular (or at least used to be popular) instant messaging systems of that generation was ICQ. (Wikipedia, 2007)
In fact, ICQ
was what actually sparked off the popularity of instant messaging. In november 1996, Mirablis, a company funded by four Israeli programmers, introduced ICQ, a free instant messaging utility that anyone can use. (Tyson, 2001) Basically, anyone who has a personal computer and an internet connection would have this application running. What this application does is that it shows the user who on his/her contact list is online as well, thus allowing the user to send a text message and receive a response in real time.
ICQ has also paved the way for other companies to begin developing their own applications, each with their own proprietary protocol and clients. (Wikipedia, 2007) Companies like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, have all jumped onto the bandwagon by developing their own instant messaging engines. One of the more popular ones today are AIM and MSN, with active users of 53 million and 27 million respectively worldwide. (Reimer, 2006)
Today, instant messaging is not only about text based conversations, developments on instant messaging engines have progressed to include video conferencing and file sharing. More recently, some engines are even offering VoIP (voice over IP) and desktop sharing, making the instant messaging utility even more multi functional.
The main aim of the internet is to share information and communication. (Wikipedia, 2006) with the development of instant messaging, it does just that. Instant messaging engines makes the process of file sharing alot more convenient not to mention its main purpose of communication.
Instant messaging has been around for almost as long as the internet as been around. These days, everyone is connected via the internet one way or another. More often than not, through instant messaging. In fact, the first thing many people do when they turn on their computers is to log on to instant messaging apart from checking their E-mails.
Just why do people prefer instant messaging to E-mails? For starters, instant messaging creates responses in real time. Unlike E-mails, where the message is being sent back and forth, instant messaging provides the luxury of time efficiency. Instant messaging also allows the user to see if the person that they want to correspond with is online, allowing for quicker responses. With emails, you would never know whether the other party is online at that given moment. (Tyson, 2001)
Most engines also allow the user to set an online status or away message so peers get notified whenever the user is available, busy, or away from the computer. On the other hand, people are not forced to reply immediately to incoming messages. This way, communication via instant messaging can be less intrusive than communication via phone, which is partly a reason why instant messaging is becoming more and more important in corporate environments.
To end, instant messaging has certainly changed the way we looked at the internet, especially with the increasing familiarity with two-way communication online. (Wikipedia, 2006) Personally, in hindsight that the internet draws people closer, the use of instant messaging has drawn people even closer together. In that, one can have a cheaper althernative to a real time conversation with a friend or loved one half way round the world via instant messaging. No longer is a phone number enough, in oder to stay connected, you would need to be on a instant messaging engine.
References:
Jeff Tyson (March 28, 2001). "How Instant Messaging Works". Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://www.howstuffworks.com/instant-messaging.htm
Jeremy Reimer (27 September, 2006). "Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger get together". Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060927-7846.html
History of World Wide Web (5 September, 2006). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_World_Wide_Web&oldid=73974490
Instant Messaging (20 January, 2007). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Instant_messaging&oldid=103417110
Early instant messaging began in the 1970s. Set up on multi user platforms like UNIX,
it was initially used to facilitate communication between the users provided if there were on the same local network.In the 1990s, due to the rising popularity of the internet, instant messaging had a major overhaul. Modern GUI-based messaging clients completely changed the way how instant messaging windows looked. On the UNIX systems, instant messaging windows were based inside a console window, however, on the new GUI-based clients, messaging windows were running as software applications. One of the more popular (or at least used to be popular) instant messaging systems of that generation was ICQ. (Wikipedia, 2007)
In fact, ICQ
was what actually sparked off the popularity of instant messaging. In november 1996, Mirablis, a company funded by four Israeli programmers, introduced ICQ, a free instant messaging utility that anyone can use. (Tyson, 2001) Basically, anyone who has a personal computer and an internet connection would have this application running. What this application does is that it shows the user who on his/her contact list is online as well, thus allowing the user to send a text message and receive a response in real time.ICQ has also paved the way for other companies to begin developing their own applications, each with their own proprietary protocol and clients. (Wikipedia, 2007) Companies like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, have all jumped onto the bandwagon by developing their own instant messaging engines. One of the more popular ones today are AIM and MSN, with active users of 53 million and 27 million respectively worldwide. (Reimer, 2006)
Today, instant messaging is not only about text based conversations, developments on instant messaging engines have progressed to include video conferencing and file sharing. More recently, some engines are even offering VoIP (voice over IP) and desktop sharing, making the instant messaging utility even more multi functional.
The main aim of the internet is to share information and communication. (Wikipedia, 2006) with the development of instant messaging, it does just that. Instant messaging engines makes the process of file sharing alot more convenient not to mention its main purpose of communication.
Instant messaging has been around for almost as long as the internet as been around. These days, everyone is connected via the internet one way or another. More often than not, through instant messaging. In fact, the first thing many people do when they turn on their computers is to log on to instant messaging apart from checking their E-mails.
Just why do people prefer instant messaging to E-mails? For starters, instant messaging creates responses in real time. Unlike E-mails, where the message is being sent back and forth, instant messaging provides the luxury of time efficiency. Instant messaging also allows the user to see if the person that they want to correspond with is online, allowing for quicker responses. With emails, you would never know whether the other party is online at that given moment. (Tyson, 2001)
Most engines also allow the user to set an online status or away message so peers get notified whenever the user is available, busy, or away from the computer. On the other hand, people are not forced to reply immediately to incoming messages. This way, communication via instant messaging can be less intrusive than communication via phone, which is partly a reason why instant messaging is becoming more and more important in corporate environments.
To end, instant messaging has certainly changed the way we looked at the internet, especially with the increasing familiarity with two-way communication online. (Wikipedia, 2006) Personally, in hindsight that the internet draws people closer, the use of instant messaging has drawn people even closer together. In that, one can have a cheaper althernative to a real time conversation with a friend or loved one half way round the world via instant messaging. No longer is a phone number enough, in oder to stay connected, you would need to be on a instant messaging engine.
References:
Jeff Tyson (March 28, 2001). "How Instant Messaging Works". Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://www.howstuffworks.com/instant-messaging.htm
Jeremy Reimer (27 September, 2006). "Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger get together". Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060927-7846.html
History of World Wide Web (5 September, 2006). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_World_Wide_Web&oldid=73974490
Instant Messaging (20 January, 2007). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Instant_messaging&oldid=103417110
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Hi, My Name is Jonathan...
welcome to the mundane life of Jon. to start, well, i reign from the sunny island of singapore. i'm 27 as of this year, and as far as i know, i'm one of the oldest in the class. but hey, you're never too old to learn right?
hobbies, well, i don't really have any hobbies, inthat, i can never hold my attention to anything long enough for it to actually be called a hobbie. through my years, i've dabbled in alot of things, from hardcore gaming, to reading, from a movie buff to an anime freak. for one thing, i'm a TV junkie, but that can't count as a hobbie no? i'm generally interested in fantasy and the occult. heck, my whole life has been a fantasy. and before you call me a satanist, by occult i mean the lore, the mysteries that surround the occult and the practice.
i also dabble in a little poetry once in a while, or when i get inspired by something. it's an on off kinda thing, i can't really control it.
and finally, all i can say is that i'm a pretty boring person all round. especially when i have an attention span of a 3 year old. i'll just do when ever comes my way.
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