Survey: should we charitably let people in poor countries to violate music copyright law?

[banys]

As we do drugs or some educational books?

Hello everybody. I'm live in vietnam. Some of you may not heard about my country. And the situation is my teacher has just given me this assignment yesterday. It's about music- music copyright law. And i really don't know how people in the US actually think about this topic.

And the fact is many people in my country have violated the copy right law to music of US singers, because it 's extremely hard for most of us to pay money for each products of a country with people have higher income.
It may sounds odd, but i hope i will receive some honest answers from you. By the way, sorry for my bad english.
Thank you.

[eilis]

The only Americans that have not heard of Vietnam are small children. The "conflict" with Vietnam was not that long ago. The pop culture derived from it (like the protest songs of Bob Dylan and movies like _Full Metal Jacket_) is still persuasive enough that even the uneducated can't escape some knowledge.

Anyway, personally, I make music for the sole purpose of sharing it. I put my time, resources, and money into concerts and production because I love music, and everyone else should love it, too. ;)

Not all the musicians I know feel the same. They feel they should get paid for their time and talent, and I see their point.

Therefore, I think the creator(s) should have the choice. They should be allowed to enforce their copyright if they so choose, and they should be allowed to distribute their music freely, if they choose. So, no, I don't think simply being poor should entitle one to the arts, anymore than anyone else is entitled to it. However, I do think that artists should make those considerations when distributing their works.

"Should" they want to be charitable? Certainly. We all "should." However, most people do keep their profession and charity separate. So, if music is how one makes a living, another shouldn't fault them for doing so. Plumbers don't work for free, either, you know?

BTW, I think your English is quite good. Hope this helps. :)

[bercnan72]

No, poor people should not be allowed to violate copyright law. They have to pay for food, so why shouldn't they pay for music? Especially since music is a luxury, whereas food is not.

Poor countries often violate copyrights for the same reasons that they are poor: widespread corruption, a culture of petty dishonesty combined with weak ethics, and an economy that is a net consumer rather than a net producer. It's hard for a country to become affluent as long as its population thinks it's okay to be dishonest.