Fair Use, the 8th Commandment, and Why I Don't Burn Music
Having recently bought new music (see my antiquus postremo blog, the first link on the right sidebar), I was thinking about my convictions regarding using, loaning, and burning (or otherwise copying) music. I have never been prone to do it, nor to loan my own cds to others, but I thought that I would read up on it so as to know where I stand morally and legally and whether I should revise my own views.
Legally, it is a tricky and complicated bunch of laws regarding copyright; the part that is most relevant to this discussion is what is called Fair Use (if you want to read it, search for "Copyright Infringement" and/or "Fair Use" on Answers.com or Wikipedia). I won't summarize it all, but will suffice to say, the copying of whole cds or even whole songs for personal enjoyment is illegal, according to the letter of the law. The gray area, I suppose, is if you would actually get sued or penalized for it. In that sense, some might say that burning music while not profiting financially from it is akin to, say, going faster than the speed limit but not driving recklessly or endangering others.
If you know me, you know that I am not as concerned with these arguments as I am with what the Bible says about the matter and what God wants of us as His children. In this matter, I can't help but go back again and again to the 8th commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15). Did we forget about this, or do we just file it away as irrelevant when we consider things like these? It disturbs me, the relative ease with which some people seem to disobey commandments like this one, and those concerning the Sabbath and tithing (see Link below for a related post). In all good conscience, if I am going to enjoy an artist's music but do not pay for it, how am I not stealing from them? This is especially true if I add the hypothetical (and admittedly tricky) element of whether I would have paid for it if I hadn't burned it, in which case I am directly robbing them before the actual payment is made.
On top of that, I would add as an extra measure of conviction that the music business, for most, is not a lucrative career, and the exorbitant amount of burning and copying taking place is making it increasively difficult for musicians to make a living doing what they do. If you, like me, listen to Christian artists and bands a great deal, it would make sense that we would support them financially by buying their music and allow them to continue their ministry and further their impact.
As a last thought, I remind you of Romans 14:12 -- "Each one of us will give an account of himself to God."
Legally, it is a tricky and complicated bunch of laws regarding copyright; the part that is most relevant to this discussion is what is called Fair Use (if you want to read it, search for "Copyright Infringement" and/or "Fair Use" on Answers.com or Wikipedia). I won't summarize it all, but will suffice to say, the copying of whole cds or even whole songs for personal enjoyment is illegal, according to the letter of the law. The gray area, I suppose, is if you would actually get sued or penalized for it. In that sense, some might say that burning music while not profiting financially from it is akin to, say, going faster than the speed limit but not driving recklessly or endangering others.
If you know me, you know that I am not as concerned with these arguments as I am with what the Bible says about the matter and what God wants of us as His children. In this matter, I can't help but go back again and again to the 8th commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15). Did we forget about this, or do we just file it away as irrelevant when we consider things like these? It disturbs me, the relative ease with which some people seem to disobey commandments like this one, and those concerning the Sabbath and tithing (see Link below for a related post). In all good conscience, if I am going to enjoy an artist's music but do not pay for it, how am I not stealing from them? This is especially true if I add the hypothetical (and admittedly tricky) element of whether I would have paid for it if I hadn't burned it, in which case I am directly robbing them before the actual payment is made.
On top of that, I would add as an extra measure of conviction that the music business, for most, is not a lucrative career, and the exorbitant amount of burning and copying taking place is making it increasively difficult for musicians to make a living doing what they do. If you, like me, listen to Christian artists and bands a great deal, it would make sense that we would support them financially by buying their music and allow them to continue their ministry and further their impact.
As a last thought, I remind you of Romans 14:12 -- "Each one of us will give an account of himself to God."
posted by Luke at 11:13 AM
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