Peer-to-peer file sharing software enables computers to connect and exchange data over a decentralized network. This software has allowed for the sharing of music, video, and random files without payment. Users rationalized the lack of monetary exchange b

Peer-to-peer file sharing software enables computers to connect and exchange data over a decentralized network. This software has allowed for the sharing of music, video, and random files without payment. Users rationalized the lack of monetary exchange by citing the ‘fair use’ clause in copyright legislation, which permits the owner of a purchased item to share it with others. They also make the analogy to the right to photocopy any material available in a public library and refer to clauses in copyright law that permit users to tape programs on television or radio. If this type of copying is not a violation of copyright law, they reason that file sharing, in like manner, should also be allowed.
Peer-to-peer software users also point out that file sharing can benefit artists in a variety of ways. In the music business, for example, file sharing offers established and unknown recording artists a wider range of exposure than would normally be the case. In fact, musicians may benefit from an expanded fan base, not to mention higher participation rates at concerts and live performances. Furthermore, file sharing provides a venue for listeners to sample music before making a purchase. In this way, file sharing on the internet is similar to listening to the radio.
Finally, a number of researchers have demonstrated that the recent rise in peer-to-peer downloading, specifically of music, has not adversely affected music sales. In some reports, music sales have even improved as a consequence. A recent Canadian study, for instance, found that those involved in file sharing purchased more, not less, music. Likewise, another study in the UK revealed that illegal downloaders spent four times as much on legally obtained music as those who did not utilize peer-to-peer services.