Applying Bok's Three Step Model to the Illegal Downloading of Music

The illegal downloading of music from the internet has become a major copyright-related issue over the past decade.  Rather than being sold for profit through online music sites or record stores, artists' material is now able to be quickly shared across the internet and downloaded for free.  This practice has been demonized by the recording industry and those who are caught in the act of doing it usually face very large fines as a result.  Yet, the problem remains.  

                Downloading music in such a manner is not only illegal, it is also very unethical.  Every time a song is illegally downloaded, it is basically the equivalent of walking up to the artist who recorded the song, reaching into their pocket, and taking their money from them. 

                Sissela Bok’s three step ethics model is one of many ethical philosophies that can be effectively applied to the illegal music downloading issue.  When someone is about to illegally download a song off the internet, they first need to stop for a moment and consult their conscious.  They need to ask themselves if they are content with downloading the song free of guilt. 

Next, the person should consider all the legal and ethical alternatives to downloading songs illegally.  Itunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, and numerous other online music stores provide legal song and album downloads for a reasonable price. 

If the person is still unsure as to whether or not they should illegally download the song, they need to consider the third step of Bok’s model: how would they react to a face-to-face conversation with the artist that they stole the song from?  How would they explain themselves to someone who potentially put their heart, soul, and time into a song that was obtained in an unethical manner?  If the person is able to confidently think of a legitimate, justified reason for illegally downloading the song, then they should probably go through with it.  However, realistically, there is almost never a way to successfully justify copyright infringement. 

                The illegal downloading of music from the internet is being managed by law enforcement to an extent.  However, countless instances of illegal downloads continue to occur every day.  In the end, the problem can only be contained if consumers are able to start living by better ethical standards.