Friday, September 19, 2008

Ethical Dilemma: File Sharing or Illegal Downloads?

To encourage ethical behavior in regard to information literacy, the library provides a variety of materials to help students make informed choices throughout their lives. Having grown up in Generation Y, today’s students have never known a world without the Internet. They are just beginning to understand that everything that can be downloaded isn’t free. As they enter their professional lives, the importance of having their achievements recognized monetarily will become evident. For many today, the instant gratification that can be achieved with BitTorrent or other peer-to-peer file sharing programs is enticing. Yet students must be aware of the legal and ethical aspects of acquiring another person’s intellectual property without remuneration. Two recent newspaper articles are included in our display to help students become more aware of the current ramifications for illegally downloading music. They can also be read online at: Maine law students challenge recording industry’s lawsuits and Free Music Downloads without the Legal Peril.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is sadly true.