Legalise exchange of copyrighted files in P2P : your opinion?

[TankGirl]

Originally Posted by bob751

Very often P2P networks are used for exchange of copyrighted files. This exchange is illegal. RIAA is trying to stop this by killing P2P, but it hardly looks effective. How to find realistic solution of the problem?
Let's try to imagine such a network, where problem of illegal exchange of copyrighted files is solved. How it could look like? No idea :^)
This depend only on current P2P users, if they'll accept another model or not. If it will look fair to them or not. So here i place a poll to try making this clear : what can be the reason for P2P users to move in a P2P-network with legal way for copyright files exchange.

Welcome to P2P-Zone, bob751.

I think there is no going back to a single network model, legit or not... RIAA blew that possibility by killing the original Napster instead of buying it. Consequently we are in a situation where there are dozens if not hundreds of networks with different technical features and orientations - a good thing in itself as it speeds up the technical evolution. The only reasonable way I see to solve the legitimity problem is simply to legalize all private, non-commercial p2p.

EFF's proposition of tax-type flat fee compensation has some idea in it but it is not a problem-free model either as it might easily help the music industry to consolidate its current position, giving them a lion's share of the collected money. If people are doing the distribution themselves with their own paid bandwidth on p2p no compensation should be paid to the music industry for the distribution itself. If the compensation model would give say 90 % of collected funds to the artists and the rest to the labels to cover their costs, I think I could support the model. That sort of arrangement being highly unlikely in practice in any near future I think it is better to have p2p evolving freely further like it is doing now and to continue the fight against media cartels on all fronts: technical, political, social - until they are weakened to a point where they are more willing to change their business models voluntarily.

- tg