Supporters of legalizing file-sharing: how many are there, and what are they doing?

Some say that in the U.S., supporters of legalizing file-sharing are few. Others say that there are many. Who is right?

Well, according to Pew Research Council, on page 24 of this 69-page report (yes, I did read through the entire thing):

http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/300.pdf

There is a single paragraph that reads:

"Gen Nexters stand out from other generations on one measure in particular. They are much
more accepting when it comes to downloading or sharing music or video files without paying for
them – 46% of Nexters said this was okay, compared with 28% of Xers and less than 20% of
Boomers and Seniors."

So, in summary, 46% of youngsters think it's okay, 28% of Gen X think it's okay, and <20% for older people.

If that is the case, then there certainly are a lot of people who think that it is okay, although they comprise the majority. It is also the case that there are a lot of people who think that it is not okay, and they are mostly the older generation, as well as half of the youngsters.

I am not primarily concerned with those who think that it is not okay. I am primarily concerned about those who think it is okay.

If so many people think that it is okay, then why don't those people start to organize and try to start to do something to change the law? The only thing I have heard of so far is the EFF and that to me sounds pretty obscure except in nerdy circles. I have not heard much of books published advocating this cause, I have not heard much of newspapers reporting on the activities of people who advocate reforming copyright law, and I have certainly not heard of any prominent speakers or advocates of decriminalizing non-commercial file-sharing of copyrighted material.

This apathy is very disturbing. If so many people think that it is okay, then why don't more people try to do something to change the law in this regard?

It is very important to try to get in contact with those people and let them know that it is important for them to act, and to be part of an effort to change the law in regards to copyright.

File-sharing Freedom Declaration

Here, I shall post the a File-sharing Freedom Declaration. It is only an idea, and if others want to use it, you may go ahead.

We the people who are the active participants in culture, declare that copyright has been a gross wrong upon humanity, and that there must be active efforts to reverse its effects.

1. We demand that copyright law must exempt non-commercial activity, and to restrict copyright itself to at most 15 years.
2. We demand compensation for those who were harmed under copyright.

This is just my idea, but I encourage all of you to take this and make it better. It is very important that we the file-sharers create a document to declare our sentiments, and for a substantial number of people to agree to it.

Stop discussing, start taking action! Start to get ourselves known!

The fact is that we laze too much on the internet, without a care for doing things that may reform copyright law. Too much people think that there is too little we the people can do. Well, there is much that we can do.

The first and most obvious thing is to speak out. Make speeches in public where it is permissible, have campaigns to get institutions to hear us and consider our opinions legitimate, and generally do things to let the world know that our opinions are important. If you have time, try to write a book.

The first step is to let people know that there are people who oppose copyright.

The biggest problem of all, is that people simply do not know that there are a group of people who favor the decriminalization of file-sharing. They simply go along with the RIAA because there simply is no other side.

Well, we must make this other side known, because only then will people start to consider the idea of decriminalizing file-sharing. Without letting people know that we exist, decriminalizing file-sharing will simply not be considered.

Thus, I urge all of you to try to do a protests. Let people know that we are serious. The purpose of a protest is not to change people's minds, but rather to let people know that we exist.

SpeakOut.com

One unfortuante fact is that our views are not repesented on the site SpeakOut.com. Simply put, they represent two sides: the side that advocates stronger copyright laws, and the side that advocates keeping the copyright laws as they are. Nowhere do I see anything that represents the side that advocates the decriminalization of file-sharing. This is clearly a problem. We can start by talking to them through their forums, and collectively e-mailing them, and also sending mail to them:

E-mail address: chrisv@speakoutfoundation.com
Mailing address:
The SpeakOut Foundation
20720 Beallsville Road
Dickerson, MD 20842

Internal communication

The biggest problem that we copyright reform supporters face is the fact that we are too disorganized and scattered. We cannot communicate with each other that well, and as a result, we are completely disorganized and completely incapable of taking collective action.

I do not know the best way to go about this, but I do have several ideas.

1. Direct action. In order to have done something of worth, we must speak of our thoughts loudly and everywhere where people oppose use, even if it is for nothing more than to let people know that we exist. Doing even more noble things like civil disobedience in public will also attract even more notice.
2. An organization. There is no such thing as an organization that supports copyright reform. The EFF, for example, certainly does not. We must form our own NGO that advocates changing people's minds about copyright. Thus, we may pool our resources and collectively decide on what to do.
3. Do more to advocate for action. Get people to take action, and people who take action are much more noticable than people who stay in their parent's basements. We need to get out there and take action, so that we may notice each other.

The biggest problem.

The biggest problem that we as anti-copyright people face is neither the law nor the RIAA, but the people who oppose use. There are multitudes of places that present the issue of copyright and "piracy," but almost none of those places present the opposing view. It is simply not represented. The issue at large is that we remain silent too much. We must speak louder, spread out message to everyone so that everyone shall know that we exist, and that our opinions matter.

Here are some examples of people who simply do not consider the anti-copyright perspective:

http://www.speakout.com/activism/napster/
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/newsletter/archive.php?id=2003-09-12#story4

Proposals for action

File-sharing is simply not something for which people should be punished. When you have bought your CD, it should be YOURS, and you should be able to do whatever you want with it. Copyright is an infringement of basic property rights - it puts restrictions on what you can do with YOUR property. Non-profit file-sharing should simply be allowed, and commercial file-sharing should be allowed 15 years after the publication of the original work.

The following are two proposals for action:

1. Civil disobedience. We need to do this in public: hand out CDs for free in public. If the police reacts, and arrests people, then public sympathy would more likely be on our side.
2. Protests, campaigning, letter-writing. I do not mean the U.S. Congress or any other part of government. I mean the multitudes of institutions or people who simply think that file-sharing is somehow is a problem, and do not even consider the people who oppose copyright law. We need to persuade the small people first before we tackle the big institutions.