Copyright Infringement? Today, entertainment is primarily delivered through a digital spectrum. Purchasing and streaming videos and music from sites like Amazon, Spotify, Netflix, and iTunes are some of the ways to legally acquire digital media. Production companies and record labels make a lot of money in today's society; But with unauthorized peer-to-peer systems illegally downloading music and movies, there is a dramatic shift in the potential profits of these industries. The RIAA states (Recording Industry Association) “that more than 2.6 billion music files were illegally downloaded each month on unauthorized peer-to-peer (P2P) systems” (Roda, 2003). Companies attempt to protect copyright violations by implementing digital systems. encryption technologies and strict laws that prohibit tampering with those encryptions.The BeginningThe era of Internet piracy began in May 1999 when a student founded a website called Napster that allowed users to upload and download music free of charge via connected computer networks. four months after its initial release, Napster was home to approximately 1 million users” (Bach). After a year, however, the service became so popular that the Napster community expanded to an unprecedented 20 million users. Although it was eventually accused of copyright infringement and lost a series of legal battles, Napster had already introduced the world to Internet piracy. “Napster, in just two years, has steadily caused the music industry, particularly in compact disc sales, to lose approximately $500 million in revenue each previous year” (Bach). The damage these malicious websites have done to the entertainment industry by promoting and hosting file sharing services has been catastrophic....... middle of paper ...... rigged their software and their hardware to make it less accessible to users. illegally download their files. However, there will never be a way to completely guarantee that digital piracy will be non-existent. Digital piracy will therefore continue to be practiced. Unless the consequences become worse, digital piracy will continue for generations to come. When content is easily accessible through services like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Spottily, traffic to piracy sites decreases. This is because when content is easily accessible at a reasonable price, people tend to stop pirating it. “The best way to fight piracy is not legislative or criminal, but by providing good options” (torrentfreak.com). The services that provide the content allow the user to access secure and virus-free sites and also eliminate the consequences of fines that could arise from this..