Charge for Music Downloading Acceptable to 50% of Respondents.

A judgment was rendered on September 9, 2005 for the second case of record industry’s charge against the P2P provider. On August 30, 2005, Secure Online Shopping Association (SOSA) conducted survey questionnaire on Internet users, and the survey revealed that more than 50% of the respondents are willing to pay for music downloading. SOSA thus urged that the record industry and P2P providers should reach a consensus on authorization to protect the consumers’ rights.

 

  According to the result of “Survey on Music Downloading” released by SOSA, 85% of the respondents have the experience of music downloading on the Internet, and more than 60% of them worry about the legality of music downloading and judicial investigation caused by this conduct. Therefore, over 50% of the respondents are willing to pay for downloading and the charge of NT$100 per month is most acceptable to them.

 

　SOSA pointed out an irresistible trend towards music downloading, and asserted that the consumers do not indulge in music downloading for petty advantages; instead, they are willing to pay for it. In this regard, IFPI’s actions, however, are not supposed to be against P2P users before IFPI comes to an agreement with P2P providers. This survey also presented that more than 70% of the consumers expect an early settlement of the dispute among the record industry, IFPI, and P2P providers.

 

　Some researchers hold that if P2P providers are likely to violate the Consumer Protection Law if they do not perform their obligation to clearly indicate the legal liabilities for violating the Copyright Law by the conduct of public transmission. Also, P2P providers should also avoid the “unlimited downloading” slogan, which may constitute the offense of instigation or assistance in another’s copyright infringement. 

 

　However, IFPI expressed that this survey means nothing because its target is the consumers only, and it is like raising a question about how much the consumers would be willing to pay for a Benz. (2005.8)

 CYJ/CCS