Cauilan 1

Allea Cauilan
Professor Altman
English 115 #14334
6 December 2014
Click Here to Share
Information is spread and shared around the world in a matter of seconds. When there are
new discoveries, the news spreads quickly. During the Enlightenment period, new discoveries in
science emerged. Religious groups stepped in and banned any information that went against the
teachings of the religion. Similarly, in Alan Moores V for Vendetta, government agencies
maintained and censored the information available to the public. The government did not want
information that went against the government or information that would decrease the
governments credibility. In the real world, governments also filter the internet available for the
public. One online activity often targeted is the illegal downloading of media, also known as
piracy. Websites like piratebay and kickass provide people with links to downloads and torrents.
Governments try to shut down these websites. Many may argue that piracy is simply stealing, but
others will argue that it is also a great way to share and obtain information that is usually not
available. Although torrenting and file sharing causes a decrease in revenue for many industries,
the government should not shut down piracy sites because these sites could be used as a
marketing strategy for many industries that oppose it, they give access to rare and creative
information for millions, and these sites provide a space for freedom of speech..
The society described in V for Vendetta is similar to our societies. The government that is
described in V for Vendetta is a government that controls all of England and they manage to filter
the types of information that reaches the civilians. Other than the people working for the

Cauilan 2
government agencies, civilians only know information coming from the television or radio. Both
are highly regulated by the government so it is an opportunity for the government to control and
manipulate what the audiences know and feel. When the main female character Evey is brought
to the Shadow Gallery by the protagonist V, Evey exclaims, All of these paintings and booksI
didnt even know there were things like this (Moore 18). From this, readers can deduce that the
government had tried to hide and destroy all of the books and art that they didnt want the public
to be exposed to. Government control and restriction of information is not limited to comic
books and stories. The real world has seen many governments try to hide information from its
citizens. Whether its Chinas strict ban on several internet websites, to Japans recent DDOS
attacks on torrenting sites, to the U.S NSA monitoring of internet activity, government control
of information is not limited to fiction.
Piracy is known to be the cause for the destruction of revenue, especially for the music
and movie industries. This is the main argument against the use of torrenting sites and piracy.
Kollin J. Zimmermann, an intellectual property lawyer, talks about file sharing in his article
Peer-to-Peer Services Facilitate Copyright Infringement. Millions of people illegally torrenting
music has caused the music industry an estimated $12.5 billion of economic loss every year
(Zimmermann 1). Music is one of the most popular things that people illegally download online.
Instead of going to a store to buy the entire album, people would rather but a single song online
for free. This is potential profit that the music industry is missing out on. Not only is the music
industry suffering, but the movie industry as well. The Atlantics Quirk, Matthew describes how
the U.S movie industry lost %2.3 billion in revenue to Internet piracy in 2005(1). Due to the
faster internet speed and greater understanding of computers, internet piracy has only gotten
more popular since 2005, which means that the revenue loss has been getting greater. Piracy

Cauilan 3
allows people to access media for free, causing industries to lose potential profit. Although
losing revenue, industries could turn things around and use file sharing as a new marketing
strategy. Piracy gives us easier access to information which music and movie industries could
use to their advantage. People prefer to use torrents because it is faster and cheaper than waiting
for the CD or DVD. Technology is changing so quickly that some industries realize that they
cannot defeat the pirates. Some movie studios try to take this into their own advantage and have
worked out a deal with Bit-Torrent, a file-sharing site, to allow moderately prices movie
downloads that self-destruct after viewing. As watching movies at home becomes ever easier,
couch potatoes may end up spending more time (and more money)If the studios play their
cards right, the digital age may hold more promise than peril for Hollywood(Quirk 1-2). Piracy
may have is disadvantages but if companies look at the good aspects of file sharing; they can use
it for their own benefits. File-sharing could make it easier for companies to sell to the public, and
could be used as a powerful marketing strategy. Torrenting and file sharing isnt all bad, so the
government should not ban websites for doing so. Although piracy may seem like actions similar
to stealing, popular music and movies is not the only thing people download illegally.
Rare media is often downloaded on file sharing and torrenting sites. Torrenting is often
misunderstood by those who have never tried it. In her article Pirates of high culture theres
more to online piracy than Beyonce singles and porn, Alang Navneet talks about the positive
uses for piracy that are often not talked about. Many think that illegal downloading is only for
popular music and media but actually, one is presented with the crme de la crme of culture,
whether a pristine copy of a Fellini film or that Ella Fitzgerald recording few have ever heard
(Alang 1). Since torrenting requires one person to upload and share a file, some rare and
exclusive files may be found only from this method. Media that was discontinued by the

Cauilan 4
publisher can still be found online only in torrents. This gives people access to information they
would have never found, and since it is not sold in stores or online anymore, there is no revenue
loss. Many forms of piracy do not create harm against media and publication companies. It is just
a way to share information around the world so the government should not ban torrent sites. The
internet was made to share knowledge and express art to millions and torrenting sites do exactly
this. They make the internet the diverse community that it is today so they should not be filtered
and banned by the government.
If piracy is banned because it is copyright infringement, then many other internet
activities would be banned since they are also forms of copyright infringement. There isnt a
clear definition of what internet infringement is. Joe Karaganis from the National Review
explains that when people illegally download a movie we infringe. But we also infringe when
we forward an e-mail or repost a funny picture to Facebook or upload a video of kids dancing to
a pop song(1). Failed acts like the Stop Online Piracy Act were shut down because people felt
it was a threat to their freedom of speech. If all kinds of copyright infringement were banned
online, social media sties and the simple sharing of certain files would be banned. Since many
file sharers are not making a profit off of the files, many can argue that there is nothing wrong
with sharing files. If the government monitors all of the websites for any type of copyright
infringement is outrageous and violates our privacy. Our freedom of speech and creative
expression comes before copyright infringement so the government should allow some forms of
piracy.
Torrenting and file-sharing should remain a service on the internet and the government
should leave it alone. Although it costs money for certain industries, that is not the only face of
torrents. The file sharing community uses the internet to share and connect to the world. Rare

Cauilan 5
and exclusive files can be accessed by millions instead of limited to a select few who were just
so lucky enough to buy the item when it was legally on sale. File sharing is the fastest and most
convenient way to get the shows and entertainment that we want, but if entertainment companies
manipulate this, they could make even more money from us. Its not all about the free stuff,
many people torrent because of the convenience, the creativity, and the social aspects that come
with sharing files. The internet is diverse in the information that it contains. People can post and
say whatever they want, and others can search for it. Without file-sharing and torrenting the
internet would be less diverse. Our knowledge would be limited and our freedom of selfexpression and speech would also be limited. Banning torrenting means banning many other
forms of social networking and would make the internet less appealing. The World Wide Web
would not be the same without the capability of sharing files so the government should not
interfere. Legislature should look more to the people rather than simply listening to the demands
of large companies. If they expended their views they would realize that illegal pirating, although
on the surface seems bad, has an array of creativity and knowledge that makes the internet what
it is today.

Cauilan 6
Works Cited
Alang, Navneet. "Pirates of high culture: there's more to online piracy than Beyonce singles and
porn." This Magazine Mar.-Apr. 2010: 42.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Oct.
2014.
Karaganis, Joe. Copyright for the Internet age: what we like doing online should be legal.
National Review 25 Feb. 2013. National Review Online. Web. 20 Oct. 2014
Quirk, Matthew. The movie pirates: will Internet bootleggers kill Hollywood, or make it
stronger? The Atlantic 1 June 2007 The Atlantic. Web. 20 Oct. 2014
Zimmermann, Kollin J. "Peer-to-Peer Services Facilitate Copyright Infringement." Copyright
Infringement. Ed. Carol Ullmann and Lynn M. Zott. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven
Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Actual Transfer' Versus 'Making
Available': A Critical Analysis of the Exclusive Right to Distribute Copyrighted Works."
The Computer and Internet Lawyer 29.8 (Aug. 2012). Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 22 Oct. 2014.