Kazaa, Morpheus, Lime Wire, and other similar file-sharing programs have developed properties analogous to those of forests. They have sprung up across the world in all different varieties. Just like some forests are composed of different combinations of trees and plants, the content shared on file-sharing programs varies. Kazaa, for example, allows users to share music, video, and nearly every conceivable file type. Napster, on the other hand, before it first shut down, allowed users to only share music files. Whatever the file types, however, they have minimal regulation, and spread great distances quickly, like the underbrush of the forest.

Copyrighted material illegally added to file-sharing networks spreads like weeds. A single weed planted in the forest can multiply itself enough to cover the majority of the forest quickly, as it requires little water or sunlight. Only one copy of a file on a network allows anyone to download their own copy, which can then likewise be duplicated. The process only necessitates a computer and access to the internet. [Not that this is wrong, but its interesting to note that this idea of one user putting a file on a P2P network and it then spreading across the network is a myth perpetuated by the MPAA and the RIAA. P2P networks are actually seeded with files through a very complex network of bootleggers (not wrong, just something I did a lot of research on a few years ago)] The process also acts as the illegal files greatest protection. You can walk through the forest and rip out a certain weed or weeds in an attempt to eradicate them. Removing a particular weed or weeds is nearly impossible, however. Each individual file, like weeds, can duplicate to refill the network. Authorities would have to shut the entire network down to halt the spread of copyrighted material. As a [In the case of a] Gnutella network, however, no central sever exists. The users and their computers comprise the network, creating a legal hassle to stop even a handful of people. The internet would have to be shut down to end illegal sharing, which is as likely to happen as lumber companies being allowed to cut down every major forest across the country. Even if authorities developed another way to shut down the network, they would hurt many people who use Kazaa legally.

Beneath the canopy of the forest, weeds co-exist with flowers and bushes. Weeds can thrive outside of the forest, but certain flowers and plants depend upon the forest to flourish. Bands without record contracts are prime examples of flowers amongst a network of weeds. Kazaa provides the opportunity for them to post and share their music for free to tens of thousands of people, an option not readily available outside of file-sharing networks. Music that only a select few may ever hear, can blare from stereos around the world because authorities can regulate, but not shut down the network.

The sheer sizes of forests around the world make the complete regulation of unwanted growth impossible. The same rule applies to file sharing networks, which have so many users, illegal file swapping can occur easily. Files also share the forests’ regenerative trait. Every major forest in the world can be destroyed, but weeds will quickly grow back, and eventually the trees and flowers. Kazaa users can have the program deleted from their computer knowing that a substitute will quickly give rise. The new server may only be a few weeds sprinkled with flowers, but given time, will develop into a thriving wilderness.

[An excellent argument.]