By: Christina Borger
Posted In: Opinion
Photo credit: KRT
Recently in the news, YouTube and MySpace have come under fire over copyright issues. Known for providing the general public with free entertainment all over the world, both websites are now facing hefty fines for violating copyrights. On MySpace, you are able to search for your favorite music artists and listen to some of their work right on the site. YouTube offers us clips of TV shows, homemade videos and more without giving the proper credit to those who were behind the actual production. So, what does this all mean?
Well, as in any plagiarism case, credit is due to those whose work was borrowed. YouTube faces fines for posting clips of movies and TV shows. I believe that the fines both enterprises face are the least that they should receive. Borrowing anyone else’s work without giving them the proper credit is illegal. Furthermore, regardless if only five minutes of a two-hour movie were borrowed, or two words of a thirty page thesis, doesn’t justify YouTube’s or anyone else’s plagiarism case. Additionally, it does not make it less offensive. With MySpace, members can access free music downloads to preview an artist’s new music. Some artists from the music industry are speaking up about their copyrights that have been violated. Similarly, with free music download software, music artists are just as uproarious about their stolen work. In my opinion, the theft of original work should result in one standard consequence. I do not see how one individual should face a lesser consequence because they borrowed fewer words from an accredited author without citing him properly. With one standard punishment, I think more businesses and individuals will be more mindful of borrowing the work of others. Moreover, I think that the awareness of plagiarism will be raised not only within the walls of academia, but also workplaces, businesses and beyond. What, then, should YouTube and MySpace do to protect themselves from future copyright fines, especially in effort to recover from paying off their current ones? Is it fair to charge users a regular fee per download? Should they just rely solely on advertising? Or should they suck up all the fees and fines themselves to continue to grant their members the pleasure of their free entertainment? On one hand, after suffering the unexpected legal expenditures, companies reserve the right to initiate a minimal fee to members to use the site and download music and video clips as they please. However, why should the members get penalized for the company’s wrongdoing? And furthermore, if it weren’t for the company’s many members, than they would cease to exist. If only MySpace and YouTube had given credit and respected the copyrights of the clips they featured on their sites, they would not be forced to pay the consequences. This sets a good example for all in the future about how to give credit where it is justly required. Additionally, such an example goes back to the basic academic rule of citing your sources. Stealing another’s original work without giving them credit for what is rightfully theirs is clearly a punishable act; one that I believe should not go unpunished.
