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Old
as the Barbary Coast--New as the Internet
No
black flags with skull and crossbones, no cutlasses, cannons, or
daggers identify today’s pirates. You can’t see them coming;
there’s no warning shot across your bow. Yet rest assured the
pirates are out there because today there is plenty of gold (and
platinum and diamonds) to be had. Today’s pirates operate not
on the high seas but on the Internet, in illegal CD factories, distribution
centers, and on the street. The pirate’s credo is still the
same--why pay for it when it’s so easy to steal? The credo
is as wrong as it ever was. Stealing is still illegal, unethical,
and all too frequent in today’s digital age. That is why RIAA
continues to fight music piracy.
"Piracy"
generally refers to the illegal duplication and distribution of
sound recordings. There are four specific categories of music piracy:
- Pirate
recordings are the unauthorized duplication of only the
sound of legitimate recordings, as opposed to all the packaging,
i.e. the original art, label, title, sequencing, combination of
titles etc. This includes mixed tapes and compilation CDs featuring one or more artists.
- Counterfeit
recordings are unauthorized recordings of the prerecorded sound
as well as the unauthorized duplication of original artwork,
label, trademark and packaging.
- Bootleg
recordings (or underground recordings) are the unauthorized recordings
of live concerts, or musical broadcasts on radio or television.
- Online piracy
is the unauthorized uploading of a copyrighted sound recording and
making it available to the public, or downloading a sound recording from an Internet
site, even if the recording isn't resold. Online piracy may now also include certain
uses of "streaming" technologies from the Internet.
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