The following letter was sent from a K12 school account in a southern US state. It illustrates the problems facing both paid legal download services, such as Apple's iTunes Music Store and Napster, and the RIAA's attempt to combat the illegal download services.

We've protected their identity, for reasons which should become obvious.

when will winmx be on again tell me when it does and keep me informed. even if you dont know anything now tell me when its on again

p2p fs is leagal its already bought its in the air how can it be illegal i looked into it and the courts just want money my cousin works at the pentagon i asked him to look into it and says they just want money he used to work in the white house.

the bible dont say thou shall not download its not stealing its in the air

Here's how music business lawyer Ken Hertz, who supports the recording industry withdrawing its co-operation for the iTunes Music Service, describes the problem.

"Peer to peer file sharing is really just interactive radio - consumers get to listen to exactly what they want when they want it," he told an ACLU awards dinner in 2002.

"File sharing is NOT piracy. Piracy is big fat guys manufacturing fake CDs in Mexico and selling them at swap meets. File sharing is tens of millions of music fans swapping copies of things they wouldnt otherwise buy. An ASCAP or BMI-like pool of money allocated in an equitable way amongst copyright owners is the only solution that could be of benefit to creators, consumers and copyright owners. Compulsory blanket licensing for non-commercial file sharing is the equivalent of loosening a tourniquet tied around the entertainment industrys neck."

And so concludes our morality lesson for the day. Your comments are, as ever, very welcome (mailto:andrew.orlowski@theregister.co.uk?Subject=).®

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