Frivilous? Hardly. Federal law clearly prohibits a person from using copywrited material without the consent of the copyright owner. The unauthorized downloading of copyrighted music is no different than stealing a gallon of milk for the corner mini-mart.
It's a little different, actually. Wait, it's a lot different.
If one was to steal a gallon of milk, it would deprive the owner of the mini-mart actual merchandise (which he would otherwise sell and profit on). The gallon of milk exists in the physical world.
If someone downloaded a song and then it disappeared forever from the record company's archive, I would agree with this parallel.
Like the saying goes, it's a brave new world. Pirating an infinitely duplicatable medium cannot be compared effectively with shoplifting and strong-arm theft, as they are not congruent.
I just had a converation about this yesterday. What about books? If I buy a book an give it to a friend have I violated the law? After all, this all about royalties, isn’t it? And what about libraries?
Are you trying out for 'Dumbest Statement on FR'?
“The unauthorized downloading of copyrighted music is no different than stealing a gallon of milk for the corner mini-mart.”
Actually, it’s completely different. One is the theft of a physical object which leaves the victim that much poorer, while the other is the “theft” of intellectual property where, at worst, the “victim” has been deprived of a possible sale to the “thief”. There is a clear difference between real property and intellectual property.