Last night, we learned that several of the biggest record labels in America have joined together to sue a single Princeton student, seeking millions of dollars in damages. They charge that he made and shared illegal copies of popular music, and helped make it easy for other students to do the same.
The dust hasn't yet settled, and the details are still unclear, so for now we are left contemplating a stark fact: Many students have used their computers to copy popular music without permission.
The ability to download nearly any song without paying a dime to the artist or record label amounts to a giant free lunch. Everyone knows, on some level, that it is against the rules.
We do not yet know the exact circumstances of this case, or the particular legal maneuvers that will determine its outcome. Our immediate reaction is that it's ridiculous to ask a single student to pay millions of dollars in damages. Even if he is guilty (and we don't yet know how the case will turn out) the amount the record companies are seeking is excessive, symbolic and punitive.
But perhaps it should not surprise us that the record labels have resorted to this extreme tactic. You don't have to think they are fighting the good fight to recognize that they have few weapons in their arsenal. Computers, internet connections and CD burners are cheap and widespread enough that the record labels cannot hope to make it impossible for determined individuals to copy music.
Instead, if they are to stop the widespread copying, they must somehow deter computer users. They can't catch everyone, so their only hope is to make examples of a few.
This strategy is unfortunate, but rational. — The Daily Princetonian Opinion Board
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