Compus Commando or Common Criminal?

Do you want to be popular (or at least more prominent) on campus? You could set up a website that lets fellow students share music files over the campus network. All you have to do is need the site with some of your own downloaded music and let the swapping begin. Thats exactly what Daniel Peng did when he was a sophomore at Princeton. It was a good idea, except for one small hitch: it was illegal, and he got caught. Unimpressed with Pengs technological ingenuity, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued him, and he was forced to settle for $15,000. Instead of delivering music, Pengs website now asks visitors to send money to help defray the $15,000 and another $8,000 in legal costs.

1. The practice of sharing commercial music files is illegal. Do you think that its also unethical? Why, or why not?

2. What steps to curb the practice are being taken by the music industry? By college administrators? By the government? Do you approve of these steps? Have they been effective?

3. What, ultimately, do you see as the solution to the problem?