File sharing is the exchange of files between computers over the internet. It can refer to sharing on a closed network or with an unlimited number of users. Music and movie files are often shared, leading to copyright infringement. The rise of file sharing grew out of user demand, particularly for digital music. Peer-to-peer (P2P) and BitTorrent are common file sharing technologies. Copyright owners have long opposed file sharing and have launched lawsuits to shut down websites. Music download services with nominal fees or rights protection mechanisms have been created to find a middle ground. Music file sharing websites still persist, mostly outside the US.
File sharing, in Internet terminology, is a means of exchanging files between computers over the Internet. The term “file sharing” can also refer to disk sharing or server sharing between computers on a closed network. Since the advent of high-speed Internet, however, it has typically referred to the practice of sharing files with a potentially unlimited number of Internet users around the world. File sharing is often criticized as a means of facilitating copyright infringement, as many of the files shared, particularly music and movie files, are copyrighted in at least one country.
Ever since people have been using computers, they have been sharing files and moving data from one computer to another. In the beginning, floppy disks were the only way to share data and files. Before long, however, computers were able to network with each other, and rudimentary chat programs, including Internet relay chat, became common ways to share material.
The birth of dial-up Internet brought with it instant messaging and email capabilities. Instant messaging and email proved useful for conversation, but they also provided a rudimentary means of transferring files. The first attachments were very limited in size and at first little more than a single page document could be exchanged.
As the capacity and speed of the Internet has increased, so has the ability to share supported programs. In many ways, the rise of file sharing grew out of user demand: Computer users wanted to share certain files, and so they engineered ways to accomplish that sharing. The demand side of technology is perhaps best viewed with respect to digital music.
In the late 1990s, a technology for digitizing music developed that allowed it to be transferred or rewritten from CDs to personal computer hard drives. The ability to effectively save and copy music from a purchased CD was and remains controversial. The practice mainly persisted on the argument that once a consumer buys music, he should have the right to listen to and use that music as he pleases.
It wasn’t long before music files started being shared among users. Early file sharing websites used a technology known as “peer-to-peer” or P2P file sharing. P2P programs make each user’s entire music library available for download. P2P users can search and download music in large quantities in an objectively short period of time.
A similar technology soon followed, BitTorrent. BitTorrent is an open source file sharing application that allows users to isolate a desired file on a shared network, then download it in chunks by several users. While P2P software downloads a file desired by a single user, BitTorrent software downloads a portion of the file by many users, then assembles all those pieces into the desired set on the user’s computer. Both platforms work best with a broad range of users.
Copyright owners, especially those based in the United States, have long opposed music file sharing, calling it a means to facilitate mass copyright infringement. While a person who purchases a CD may have the right to make a copy for his or her own use, the right does not extend to others making that copy available free of charge for online download. Copyright owners and their representatives have launched many lawsuits trying to shut down websites that use P2P and other similar methods of file sharing. Rights owners have also sued individual downloaders for copyright infringement, particularly on US college campuses.
Recognizing that the demand for easily downloadable and free music is unlikely to disappear, copyright owners and music industry representatives have sought to create music download services that find a middle ground between user demands and rights of the owners. Many of these services mimic the file sharing experience, but incorporate nominal fees or some sort of rights protection mechanism to prevent infringement. Some of these services have proved popular. As of 2010, however, music file sharing websites still persist, although most are based outside the United States.
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