This issue, brought about by the dawn of the Internet age, is among the most pressing of our time. With torrenting and other methods on the rise, the RIAA and MPAA are desperate to crack down on their perceived loss of revenue.

So, let's put it to a vote: should this be a crime?


For those not familiar with the subject, I'll spare you the technical details, and provide a simple analogy. Let's say there's a person named Jane. She goes to her local hardware store and buys a cheap screwdriver, one that costs about a buck. Later, her friend Rick calls and says that he needs a screwdriver. So Jane goes down to her basement, fires up her lathe, and makes an exact copy of the screwdriver she bought before, and gives it to Rick.

The hardware store owner then sees Rick using the screwdriver, accuses him of theft, and files a lawsuit. Of course, Rick didn't steal it: he and the store owner had no interaction whatsoever. Then, Rick finds out that the hardware store owner isn't just suing him for a dollar, which is the cost of the screwdriver- the owner is suing him for almost FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.

Now, replace 'screwdriver' with 'song' and 'hardware store owner' with 'RIAA', take out the part about the lathe, and that's basically what's going on here. So, did Rick commit a crime?