File-sharing concerns have weighed heavily on students' minds since the Recording Industry Association of America announced that it has brought legal action against six Penn students.
The RIAA is bringing the "John Doe" lawsuits against people who use file-sharing services like Napster, Kazaa and Limewire to illegally share music.
These services have become an obsession of music-lovers, while serving as a thorn in the side of the music industry.
To address the pros and cons of such services, the University Honor Council sponsored a debate Wednesday on the ethics of music piracy as a part of Integrity Week.
"An estimated five million files are shared on Kazaa each month with 400,000 to 600,000 movies downloaded each day," said Cheryl Krause, a lawyer who has represented Universal Music Group and the Motion Picture Association of America.
She emphasized that, for the success and development of the arts to continue, fans need to follow copyright laws and refrain from sharing music.
Panelist Peter Fader, a Marketing professor, took a different perspective on file sharing, presenting it as a blessing for the music industry.
"Downloading music could lead someone to buy the album," Fader said, "or inspire an interest in a new genre of music."
He brought up the case of rapper 50 Cent, whose debut album had record-breaking sales. The main factor in 50 Cent's early success, Fader claimed, was the exposure people had to some of his music online, which generated a "buzz" about the album before it was released.
Fader pointed out the difference between sharing and downloading files.
"How many people have been sued for downloading music?" he asked. "Zero. Go ahead and download. Just don't share the files."
In addition to RIAA lawsuits, companies in the music industry are developing methods to combat piracy.
"It's hard to find a balance between making a CD that is too difficult to hack and one that is still playable," said Marcel Garaud, vice president of the Sony College Action Network. "The piracy rate in China is almost 100 percent. It's pretty hard to even find the real thing."
The event, which drew an estimated 40 students to Logan Hall, appeared to have an impact on those who attended.
"I thought it was interesting that you can't get prosecuted for downloading," College junior BJ Stein said. "I'm going to go home and download Limewire."
Wharton junior Steve Davidson, who serves as UHC co-chairman, had a slightly different take on the evening.
"We've been trying to express through the week that integrity is as important out of the classroom as it is inside," he said. "From the questions that were asked, it seems that people learned a lot and are hopefully more aware of the moral issues involved in such activities."
