Research into the issue

Why is file sharing/IP/copyright an issue?

File sharing, IP and copyright are an issue because now days a great majority of the country have access to a computer and it is so easy to make copies of films and songs to share amongst people without having to pay. As it's easy to do, many people do it which breaks the copy right laws on some pieces of media. It's also an issue as people very rarely get caught if they share files amongst friends so although its breaking the law, people continue to  do it as they do not face any kind of punishment when watching a movie online.

Why is it wrong?

It is wrong because file sharing is an illegal act. People are effectively stealing the type of media they illegally own as they are using it without paying for it or using an image without crediting the creator etc. This is wrong because if you illegally watch a movie or download a song then the creator looses money, if the situation continues to worsen and more and more people file share then the film and music industry may start to fail as they will not be making enough of an income to make the productions of the film/song viable which will result in a lot less films and music being produced which would be devastating as film and music plays such a big part in our everyday lives.  

What methods does digital piracy include?

Digital piracy includes:

• Viewing, copying or printing a piece of copyrighted works
• Downloading movies or music
• Using copyrighted images without permission or crediting the creator
• Uploading and making music files available to the public or downloading such files  from an Internet site

How are teenagers part of this?

Teenagers are part of this as many teenagers take part in the activities listed above, with or without knowing that it's illegal. It is thought of as normal and okay to take part in digital piracy amongst not only teenagers but people of all ages. Many teenagers spend a great deal of their time watching illegally downloaded content on file sharing film websites such as megashare or cartoonHD which is massively damaging the film industry.