Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literaly, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly. Illegal copying is affecting the entire community of music. And although some people may tell you different, it's having an extremely harmful impact on many musicians, performers, and songwriters. It's affecting everyone from recording engineers, to record store clerks and, also, people who enjoy providing music to the public. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution of copyrighted music is illegal, and is just as illegal as shoplifting a CD. If you burn CD's from peer-to-peer networks such as Kazaa, or Morpheus, or another free music downloading site, you are breaking the law. If you are distributing the music, you"re basically stealing it. The rules are simple. If you don't own the copyright, you have no right to distribute it. .
There are many different reasons of why you shouldn't reproduce and distribute copyrighted music. Here are four basic reasons:.
1. Stealing music is against the law.
2. Stealing music goes against and betrays the recording artists and songwriters who make it.
3. Stealing music stifles careers of new bands and artists.
4. Stealing music threatens careers of many working people-from recording engineers to record store clerks-who make a living in the music industry. .
