P2P File Sharing Still On The Rise
Internet, Copyright, MP3, Music Industry, File Sharing, Music Downloads July 12th, 2004Despite entertainment industry attempts to curb online song and movie swapping with lawsuits and education campaigns, more people than ever are using peer-to-peer services.
BigChampagne, which tracks Internet file sharing, says 8.3 million people were online at any one time in June using unauthorized services like Kazaa and eDonkey — up 19% from 6.8 million in June 2003.
The majority of files being traded were music, BigChampagne says. Porn videos and images were the second-biggest category
Since September, the Recording Industry Association of America has filed 3,500 lawsuits against music sharers who uploaded songs to the Internet. It has settled about 600 of them for fines ranging from $2,000 to $15,000.
Phil Leigh, senior analyst at research firm Inside Digital Media, says the findings are the strongest evidence to date that the lawsuits aren’t scaring people away from so-called P2P programs. “Many just don’t think they’ll be caught,” he says. And users have become savvier about adjusting software so they can’t be traced.
After the initial wave of lawsuits, research firms released studies suggesting people were spending less time on the peer-to-peer services. “What people say and what they do are two different things,” says BigChampagne CEO Eric Garland. “People were not willing to be forthright and admit to something that might get them sued. The fact is, peer-to-peer usage is much more widespread than it was a year ago.”
Related Reading
Poll Shows Opposition to Download Suits [MusicBizNews24]
Music Downloads Overtaken by Movies [MusicBizNews24]
RIAA vs. the People [Electronic Frontier Foundation]
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