This paper examines how the recent development of computers, the Internet, and music compression technologies, such as MP3,
have given a totally new dimension to music privacy and how free music
downloads and the exchange of music files over the Internet has reached such daunting proportions that the music industry considers it the single biggest threat to its very survival. It discusses whether downloading of music from the Internet should be unrestricted and free by looking at both sides of the issue. While doing so, recent court cases about music piracy in the United States and Australia are also examined. Outline The Beginnings of Music Downloads on the Internet The Napster Lawsuit and Its Aftermath Current Scale of Internet Music Downloads Ethics of Free Music Downloads Arguments For and Against Recent US and Australian Court Cases Conclusion