Wanted: New Copyright Laws

I find piracy to be a very engaging issue since almost everyone is affected by it. Although many may not know how to download all the latest software for free off the internet, most people know how to download music off the internet, or even just burn a copy of a CD from the original. These are all forms of piracy and piracy is one of the most heated and discussed issues in technology today. Institutes that enforce copyright law against pirates understand that it can never be stopped, but this does not deter them from enforcing the laws on individuals and making an example out of them. While I agree that piracy is wrong, I don't always agree with how the rules against it are enforced. Recently the RIAA decided to crack down on college students. I feel that the way they are singling out these college students and using the members of the university to enforce their dirty work is entirely wrong. It also seems that the monetary penalties are a bit high. If the so-called pirate decides to settle up front and out of court the fee is on average $3,000. Artists should definitely be compensated for their work, but it seems with the use of the internet in downloading music there needs to be a new system incorporated to achieve these goals. They mentioned in the documentary Good Copy, Bad Copy the idea of a bulk payment issued for one year that would enable someone to download as much music as they wanted to. To me this seems like a good idea. At least the artists would get some kind of compensation, rather than nothing, which is happening now. I thought the musicians within the film were very interesting as well. It is amazing how someone can change and rearrange music with the use of computers. I believe if copyright laws are too strictly enforced we may miss out on a lot of good, interesting music. We should allow creativity to flow and not hinder it with the overuse of a law that is now aged well beyond its use.