Music sharers to get reprieve from lawsuits

 It appears the U.S. recording industry has given up on its "heavy artillery" in efforts to stop online sharing of music, although it has not given up on the battle.

  In a controversial move, the Recording Industry Association of America began taking file swappers to court in 2003 to protect copyrighted music. Since then about 35,000 people have been sued, according to an Associated Press story.

  It was an effective tool. Nearly all of those sued for sharing music online settled out of court at a cost of $3,500 on average to avoid legal costs. However, the recording association couldn't escape its own legal costs to bring the lawsuits, which exceeded the settlement money it received, according to AP.

  The recording industry will try a new tactic now. It reached an agreement with major Internet service providers to cut off service to people identified as copyrighted music file sharers.

  There is a basic split in thinking on this issue. Many Internet users have become accustomed to sharing online, whether it be pictures or video or music. They expect the freedom to do this with music which they may have purchased.

  The view of the recording industry is the traditional one that copyrights exist and should not be violated. Allowing violations decreases the value of their products and harms the artists who created the original material.

  We fall on the traditional side. File sharing, especially with strangers rather than a few family members, is theft. You are taking something someone owns - their creative product - and giving it away without compensating the owner.

  But given the way the Internet operates and the scale of file sharing, it may be impossible to stop without changes in the law or the adoption of new business practices by the recording industry.

  Legally duking it out one-on-one with song swappers certainly hasn't proven to be a winning proposition.