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Okay, it's no secret that the old Internet machine has changed our lives, in a lot of good ways - but in a lot of contentious ways, too. Case in point: the music industry.
Remember the whole Napster thing? Ten years ago, Napster started allowing song sharing for free, which REALLY ticked off the music labels. They sued for copyright infringement, and won - and Napster got shut down.
But of course, the issue didn't go away. As the Internet grows, so have the questions regarding the sharing of content. Not just songs, but movies, books, newspapers, and magazines, too.
Cory Doctorow has a lot to say about the subject. Cory is Canadian, and the co-editor of Boing Boing, one of the most popular blogs going. He's also one of the top web culture critics out there, and a so-called "copyfighter". He thinks online content should be shared freely, as long as the user doesn't try to profit from it.
His argument? As an author or an artist, you end up getting more exposure and more hard-copy sales if you give folks free access online. And Cory practices what he preaches. He's also a science fiction writer, and he posts his books for free on the 'net. That includes his latest, called 'Makers.'
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