music & internet.pdf

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A guide for parents and teachers

Music andthe Internet


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Music on the internet what you should know

There are many greatways of accessing musicsafely and legally online.

This guide aims to keepparents, teachers and

young people wellinformed on how to staysafe and legal whenenjoying entertainmenton the internet or via amobile device.

Did you know?

Using illegal sites and filesharing programmes canbe risky

Using illegal file-sharingprogrammes exposes users to therisk of unwelcome content such asviruses, pornography and violentimages. File-sharing software canalso compromise your privacy andsecurity by opening up yourcomputer and sharing whatsstored on it with the outside world.

You could be breaking the lawand face consequences

Copyright law applies todownloading, sharing andstreaming music just as in theworld of physical CDs and DVDs.If you make copyrighted musicavailable to others on a file-sharingnetwork, or sell copies without thepermission of those who own thecopyright, then you are breakingthe law and could face seriouspenalties. Downloading music froma file-sharing network is also illegalin most countries.

Using legal sites rewardscreators for their work

Copyright laws protect artists,musicians, producers and all thepeople who work in the musicindustry. This allows them to berewarded fairly and to continuecreating and producing music.

Copyright law appliesto downloading andstreaming just as in theworld of physical CDs

and DVDs.


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Staying tuned inwhile staying legal

Where are the best legal sitesto find music?

There is a wide choice of legal siteswhere you can download orstream (transmit over the internet)music. There are more than 400

legal services available worldwide,offering more than 13 million tracksat great prices. Some are storeswhere you buy downloaded tracksand albums to play on a computer,a portable device or on a musicplayer. Others charge a monthlysubscription fee and let you streamfrom an internet-connected deviceat any time. Some services providemusic for free, supported byadvertising.

A full list of these services,and links to them, can be foundat www.pro-music.org. This isa comprehensive informationresource about digital music.

Is it OK to copy or rip musicfrom a CD or DVD to mycomputer or media player?

Making a digital copy of a CD youown for your personal use cangenerally be done without legal

consequences.However, distributing a digital copyon the internet or to a friend isdifferent and may result in legalaction. For music purchasedonline, legal music downloadservices generally allow you tomake a copy as a backup for yourown use on other devices.

Is it legal to make a copy ofstreamed music?

Usually it isnt. Legal streamingservices give instant access totracks, films and videos, often forfree, but they do not usually allowyou to rip the content to make apermanent copy.


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Is it always illegal to use file-sharing websites and services?

It is illegal to upload (and in mostcountries to download) copyrightedfiles without permission from theperson who owns the rights.

File-sharing services can in theorybe used legally, but in practicenearly all the content on them isillegal. If they are sites that arentclearly licensed by copyrightowners, then the only safe way touse them legally is to be sure youare sharing materials that are notprotected by someone elsescopyright - such as music youcreate yourself.

How are people who illegally file-share found out?

Generally, those file-sharing illegallydo so on public networks. Everydevice connecting to the internet isassigned (usually by their internetservice provider) a unique numberknown as an IP address. Details ofthis unique number as well as datashowing the material used illegallyare either clearly visible on or canbe easily obtained from such

services.In general, customer details can beobtained from the ISP through lawenforcement or a civil court order.The copyright owner can then takelegal action against the infringers.

Does paying for my musicguarantee that it is legal?

There are websites, often incountries with poor enforcement ofcopyright laws, which sell tracksand albums very cheaply because

they are doing so illegally withoutpaying the owners of the rights. Tohelp you stick with legal websitesvisit www.pro-music.orgfor links tolegal music services.

Is it legal to download musicfrom blogs?

In some cases, entertainment ismade available legally from blogs.However, links from blogs to musicstored on online storage services

called cyberlockers aregenerally not legal. In almost allcases it wont be legal to downloada song offered for download viaa link to a cyberlocker.

What you can and cantdo with music online

It is illegal to uploadcopyrighted files withoutpermission from theperson who owns

the rights.

Find legal music sites atwww.pro-music.org


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Staying safe and responsible

Are there penalties for illegallysharing music and otherentertainment on the internet?

Yes there are potentially veryserious penalties for those illegallysharing music. This is covered by

civil law, criminal law, or both,depending on where it ishappening. People illegallyfile-swapping could findthemselves facing legal actionleading to penalties such asdamages.

Apart from copyright what are theother risks involved in the illegaldownloading of music?

Illegal file-sharing programmes

and websites pose greater risks toyour computer or mobile phonethan legitimate sites. Alongsidemedia files, users often unwittinglydownload viruses and spyware.

They can also inadvertently sharepersonal computer files,containing financial information,with other users, potentiallyputting themselves at risk fromidentity theft. Also some files arepurposefully misnamed on

file-sharing and peer-to-peernetworks to trick people intodownloading them.

Filtering tools that can blockoffensive content on websites arenot effective when these illegalservices are used, leaving childrenat risk of exposure to unsuitable orharmful content.

Some peer-to-peer softwarelets users chat with other

file-sharers, most of themstrangers. For guidance aboutchatting on the internet seeChildnets www.chatdanger.comwebsite.

Where can I get more informationabout the security risks of illegalfile-sharing?

Your ISP can give advice aboutthe effects of using illegalfile-sharing programmes. There

have been many examples ofcomputers becoming infectedwith viruses, malware andspyware after people have usedP2P networks for music file-sharing. Many ISPs providesoftware that can protect peopleagainst these risks.

How can I prevent my internetconnection being used for illegalfile-sharing?

There are some basic steps youshould take. Your ISP shouldprovide information on how toprotect your WiFi connection,including details on how apassword can be set up to limitaccess to your connection.

Parental controls on softwaresystems can also be activated toblock access to specific websites.Its also a good idea to makesimple rules for whoever is using

your computer and your network,so they dont upload or downloadillegally.

Make simple rules forwhoever is using yourcomputer and yournetwork, so they dont

upload or downloadillegally.


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Jargon buster

Blogs

Short for web log, a diary orjournal published on the internet.Blogs are often used to post linksto files, which may be illegal copiesof music, films or other

entertainment.

Cyberlocker

A service for storing large quantitiesof files on the internet. Frequentlyused for sharing music, film and TVillegally.

Downloading

Copying or transferring files (musictracks, films and TV programmes)from another computer or the

internet to your own computer.

File-sharing

Allowing others, who you maynot know to access informationon your computer via the internet,including music, film and personalfiles.

Filtering

A way of restricting access tocertain content, websites orfunctions online.

IP address

Short for internet protocol, anumber similar to a telephonenumber that can be used toidentify the account holder ofa computer at a particular point

in time when it is connected tothe internet.

ISP

An internet service provider.A company that supplies aconnection, enabling accessto the internet.

Peer-to-peer (P2P)

A popular method of exchangingmusic, film or TV files directly from

one or more computers to anotherwithout it passing through a centralpoint.

Ripping

Making a digital copy of musicfrom a CD/DVD to a file, typicallyso it can be transferred to andplayed on a computer or portablemedia player like an iPod.

Router

A device used to connectcomputers to the internet.

Spyware

A malicious program installed on acomputer without the usersknowledge, typically used to reportinformation about the user and hisor her activities online.

SSID

Short for service set identifier, aname or phrase that identifies anindividual wireless router.

Streaming

Transmitting music, film or TV overthe internet in real time so it can beplayed on a computer or mediaplayer but is not stored on thedevice.

Uploading

Making available files stored onyour computer or device to othercomputers via the internet, orstorage services such ascyberlockers.

Virus

A malicious program that caninfect computers, replicate itselfand disrupt normal functioning.

WiFi

A way of transmitting computerdata through the air, without wires,using radio waves.

WPA

Short for WiFi protected access,a security setting for wirelesscomputers and devices.


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This guide has beenwritten by childrens charityChildnet International, withsupport from organisationsrepresenting creators andproducers in the musicindustry.

Contact organisations:

Childnet International

Childnet International is anon-profit organisation working inpartnership with others around theworld to help make the internet a

great and safe place for children.Registered as a charity in theUK (No 1080173).

www.childnet.comwww.kidsmart.org.ukwww.digizen.org

Childnet is the EuropeanCommission appointed saferInternet Centre for the UK.

www.saferinternet.org.uk

Pro-music

Pro-music is a coalition of peopleand organisations working acrossthe music sector. The internationalalliances of musicians, performers,music publishers, major andindependent record companiesand retailers across the musicindustry have joined forces topromote the many different waysin which people can enjoy music

safely and legitimately online.www.pro-music.org

C

hildnetInternational2

011,allrightsreserved.

Designandproduction:www.t

hinkerdoer.co.u

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