{"id":11350,"date":"2011-03-30T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2011-03-30T12:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.iposgoode.ca\/?p=11350"},"modified":"2011-03-30T08:00:47","modified_gmt":"2011-03-30T12:00:47","slug":"ripping-off-the-music-industry-file-sharing-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/osgoode\/iposgoode\/2011\/03\/30\/ripping-off-the-music-industry-file-sharing-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"\"Ripping\" Off the Music Industry: Stream-Ripping, a File-Sharing Alternative?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nora Sleeth is a JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School and <\/em>currently enrolled\u00a0in the course Law & Social Change: Law & Music, in Winter 2011. As part of the course\u00a0requirements, students are asked to write a blog on a topic of their choice.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is no secret that the file-sharing phenomenon is a frequently debated, highly contentious issue. The possibilities for copyright infringement are not, however, confined to P2P networks. For example, file conversion website\u00a0Zamzar<\/a> allows users to copy and paste a URL from\u00a0YouTube<\/a> and have it converted to an MP3 file that is then emailed to the user and downloaded. \u00a0The process used is called stream ripping.<\/p>\n

Technology enables consumers to access their favourite music through increasingly innovative methods.\u00a0The ability to convert a file from one format to another is highly useful for both personal and business purposes. It also enables consumers to illegally copy and download music. For example, file conversion website\u00a0Zamzar<\/a> allows users to copy and paste a URL from\u00a0YouTube<\/a> and have it converted to an MP3 file that is then emailed to the user and downloaded. \u00a0The process used is called stream ripping; it extracts an audio copy from the audio-visual stream found on YouTube. It is not hard to understand Zamzar\u2019s appeal. Music listeners often complain that legal music downloading sites lack variety and even P2P sites, such as\u00a0Frostwire<\/a>, are somewhat limited in selection. \u00a0Zamzar simply provides another avenue for listeners who are only able to find a specific song on YouTube.<\/p>\n

A quick Google search for file conversion or stream ripping yields primarily \u201chow-to\u201d instructions or programs that provide these services. Stream ripping is primarily associated with Internet radio and a number of programs allow users to record the audio from Internet radio sites. Interestingly, it is difficult to locate any solid information regarding copyright law or the approach of the record industry to stream ripping technology. This is particularly surprising given the industry\u2019s response to file-sharing. Further, it has been\u00a0hypothesized<\/a> that users may switch from P2P to stream ripping in an effort to avoid legal repercussions. This is especially significant in the United States, where the threat of having file-sharing activity detected by the\u00a0RIAA<\/a> may drive users to search for untraceable methods of downloading. \u00a0Given the number of stream ripping sites that provide alternative options for illegal downloaders, it is difficult to understand why stream ripping and file conversion sites, such as Zamzar, do not stand in file-sharing\u2019s spotlight.<\/p>\n

Bill C-32<\/a>, if it had been passed, may have provided a tool for combating sites that enable stream ripping and may have subsequently drawn much-needed attention to these file-sharing alternatives. Clause 18 of the Bill proposed that it be made an infringement for a person to provide \u201ca service that the person knows or should have known is designed primarily to enable acts of copyright infringement\u201d. This clause had been\u00a0criticized<\/a> for its ambiguity, as it was difficult to understand how the criteria outlined in the Bill will apply. Stream ripping is but one example. While some stream ripping sites\u00a0clearly<\/a> induce users to infringe copyright, others, such as Zamzar, do not necessarily present themselves as a means of obtaining music illegally.<\/p>\n

Although Zamzar is not a Canadian site, it provides a useful illustration of some of the criticisms that were laid against Bill C-32\u2019s \u201cinducement clause\u201d. Zamzar allows users to convert\u00a0almost any file format<\/a> into another file format. This is the site\u2019s primary purpose. Bill C-32 listed \u201cwhether the service has significant uses other than to enable acts of copyright infringement\u201d as a factor relevant to the determination of whether a service has infringed copyright law; however, it also specified that \u201cwhether the person had knowledge that the service was used to enable a significant number of acts of copyright infringement\u201d as another consideration. It is unclear how such opposing factors could have been balanced in the case of sites such as Zamzar. Although the site has a legitimate and highly practical use, it would be very hard to argue that the creators are not aware of the potential for copyright infringement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nora Sleeth is a JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School and currently enrolled\u00a0in the course Law & Social Change: Law & Music, in Winter 2011. As part of the course\u00a0requirements, students are asked to write a blog on a topic of their choice. It is no secret that the file-sharing phenomenon is a frequently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[278,112],"tags":[1035],"class_list":["post-11350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-copyright-reform","category-music-industry","tag-nora-sleeth-ipilogue-editor"],"yoast_head":"\n"Ripping" Off the Music Industry: Stream-Ripping, a File-Sharing Alternative? - IPOsgoode<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/osgoode\/iposgoode\/2011\/03\/30\/ripping-off-the-music-industry-file-sharing-alternatives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""Ripping" Off the Music Industry: Stream-Ripping, a File-Sharing Alternative? - IPOsgoode\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nora Sleeth is a JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School and currently enrolled\u00a0in the course Law & Social Change: Law & Music, in Winter 2011. 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