【UNIT 2.】The Rise of the WWW

※Article :

The record company EMI is planning a new service which will allow people to copy music from the Internet without breaking the law. BBC Business correspondent Mark Gregory reports:EMI's artists include the Spice Girls, the Beatles and pop stars Robbie Williams and Janet Jackson. Like the rest of the industry, it's struggling to cope with technological change that makes it much easier for people to copy music without paying for it. Music can be stored in a personal computer, it can be passed anywhere in the world via the Internet, millions of people own the equipment needed to record or burn their own unauthorized compact discs. Unofficial online music services like that provided by the American group Napaster have proved wildly popular.
To tackle the issue, EMI has teamed up with a computer software company to develop the first ever service that allows music lovers to legitimately make their own CDs on their own CD recording equipment of songs on which EMI holds the copyright. The music will be downloaded from the Internet in encrypted form. The difficult bit comes in designing software that gives the copyright holder power over what use is made of the music once its in the customer's computer. It may, for example, be possible to require additional payments every time a new CD is burned. EMI says it'll talk about pricing when the service is ready to launch. In theory it could do away with the need for dedicated music shops, but industry analysts say many people like to go to places where they can listen to music they haven't heard before. But, of course, that too can be done over the internet.

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※Summary:

The record company EMI is planning a new service which music lovers are able to free download musics they like. This is how EMI copes with technological change nowadays, for too many people own the equipment needed to record their own unauthorized compact discs. EMI has cooperated with a software company to allow people make their own CDs legitimately on their own CD recording equipment while EMI still holds the copyright.

※Reaction:

I think it is quite a smart way to avoid unauthorized CDs being made. It is too common for people to download every kinds of data from the Internet that we take it naturally, yet it is absolutely the wrong thing to do, for it infringes on other's rights. If we put ourselves in the author's shoes, how would we feel? Feeling not being respected? Offended, or anger? This is a simple situation to imagine. Although this new service might not be too popular at first, I believe it will gain more and more acceptance in the long run.