final+report+proposal+draft

TO: Proximity Music Teams FROM: DATE: March 26, 2010 SUBJECT: Report Proposal for the future of illegal downloading

Peer to peer file sharing was introduced by Napster in 1999. This would forever change the way individuals downlaoded music files. The increased popularity to illegally download lead to numerous lawsuits. But with new sites emerging and an increasing amount of people downloading illegally, the thought of being sued seems to be a thing of the past. I propose to write a report on what the future holds for illegal downloading.

Need topics The proposed report Sources [] shows the begging of how illegal downloading become prevalent.

After Napster's demise, other file sharing networks appeared all over the internet, much to the chagrin of record companies and many musical artists. One of the most prominent of these second wave peer to peer clients was Kazaa, a less than reputable program that added the threats of adware and spyware to the already dangerous activity of illegal downloading. Bundled with the Kazaa software were more than six separate malware programs that logged and recorded your internet use, popped up unwanted ads, and even altered the sites your browser attempted to visit. The spyware and adware bundled with Kazaa did not uninstall when Kazaa was uninstalled, making it difficult to remove the unwanted programs. Kazaa opened the door for malware to be bundled with file sharing clients, only to be sued, shut down, and made to pay a hefty fine for their part in copyright infringement. The legacy of this dangerous software lives on. Although there are some peer to peer sites that continue to operate, such as Limewire, there are no guarantees that downloads of this software doesn't include potentially threatening software, including adware, spyware, and computer viruses. Moreover, though, the threat of legal action over peer to peer music sharing looms larger everyday. Many governments are currently considering methods to curb illegal music downloading. France has already began to implement a program whereby illegal downloaders are put on a "three strikes" program, that cuts off internet access after two warnings. The United Kingdom is considering similar measures. This model seems to be quite useful, as most downloaders curb their illegal activity after a single warning. But across the world, many people prefer a different solution to music downloading: finding legal avenues to access music over the internet. One of the most popular of these sites is iTunes, which allows users to download single songs on demand, at the rate of ninety nine cents a song, with a discount for buying entire albums. This service has proved to be hugely popular. With legal music available affordably and easily, the demand for illegal downloading has dropped dramatically. Sites such as Myspace music have also helped to stem illegal downloading by allowing users to listen to music from their favorite artists, but not make copies. Also, some musical artists are taking matters into their own hands. Trent Reznor, the driving force behind Nine Inch Nails has released the band's last two albums over the internet. Rather than fighting illegal download, Reznor made the album available for free, but also gave fans the option of paying five dollars. This release has been hailed by many as a business model for the future of the recording industry. There are also some proposals from music companies themselves that would charge a flat fee per month for access to an entire catalog of songs. For one low monthly fee, you could download as many songs as you like. Artists would then be paid according to a system set up by the music companies. So, with a better understanding of the history of downloading music, it's possible to forecast a bright future for music on the internet. Sites such as iTunes have shown that people are willing to pay for music downloads, if the fees are reasonable and the content is immediately available. Artists such as Nine Inch Nails are paving the way for a future where illegal downloading is not only frowned upon, but unnecessary.
 * The Second Wave of File Sharing Programs, and the Threat of Adware**
 * The Future: Legal Music Downloads and the Three Strikes Rule**

[] **Limewire** P2P Network Adds Anti-Malware Protection [|LimeWire], one of the biggest peer-to-peer networks, has announced that [|the company is integrating AVG anti-malware protection] into its LimeWire Pro service. [|The $34.95/year Pro service] also adds many other perks, such as faster downloads, a video player, access to BitTorrent and Gnutella as well as tech support. Users will see a "Protected by AVG" message whenever a downloaded file is scanned and cleaned. Users of the free LimeWire Basic software do not get the AVG protection. P2P networks have become a major source for the spread of malware. Some analysts have been predicting that they would be the largest medium of malware distribution this year. LimeWire+AVG should help their network, but probably won't do much systemically because of the lack of support for Basic. LimeWire couldn't get me numbers on what percentage of their users have Pro, but it has to be relatively small. TO some extent the protection will radiate out from Pro users who serve to Basic users. Anyway, that's the optimistic point of view. There are limits to what protection such as this can do. The scan is performed on the client-end when a file is downloaded. Unlike a full security suite, it provides no runtime protection for threats that can't be detected until the program is run. And files that are encrypted, such as password-protected ZIP files, also can't be scanned. LimeWire Pro users certainly have to continue to be careful.