March 8, 2004
5:45- 7:00 PM
Stanford Law School: Room 290
Free and Open to All
When a technology's integration into society outpaces the laws that govern it, the boundary between lawful and unlawful behavior can blur. Nowhere is this observation more prevalent than in the maelstrom of debate surrounding the peer-to-peer technologies that allow users to download and trade music with an ease and immediacy never before available. This panel will discuss whether downloading music without paying for it is civil disobedience, fair use, or just plain wrong.
The Speakers will use excerpts from an episode of the new docu-drama "K Street" as a springboard for addressing questions like:
* Are all downloaders pirates?
* Does the legality matter? Or, Even if it's legal, is it ethical?
* Do downloaders have an ethical obligation to investigate the legality of what they're doing?
* Does it matter that everyone is doing it?
* Does it matter if the shared content is not lawfully available elsewhere?
* Should advocates for changes in the law advocate breaking the law?