I am well, and I too enjoy these conversations. The thing critical fact that is overlooked in your calculation or model of

things (don't worry I didn't check it for technical accuracy) is this.

#1 - There is a whole generation of people that exist now in the Internet age. Consider for example the fact the I have

been involved with technology for about 17 years. A lot has changed in that time.

#2 - The most fundamental change is the commercialization of the Internet (The idea that business can profit from the

Internet) This started around the mid-to-early-90s. At the same time access requirements for consumers were lowering because

more consumers = more business opportunities. Those involved in the community between 1988 - 1991 were concern what this

would do to the Internet community. (I was one of them) Anyway,

#2a big business brought increased attention from cyber-thieves
#2b More consumers brought more Interest in companies wishing to sell services (spam)
#2c Other industries have entered the business as access providers so that they could create a portal type Internet where

they control not only your access but the content you see. A perfect example of this is cable providers.
Their hoping to achieve the success of services like AOL who's still around and the Compuserv's of yesteryear.


#3 - Most of the general population (consumers) started to use or get involved with the Internet around 1997 - present but

mainly during the dot-com hype. This whole concept of P2P is only a few years old. The popularity of Mp3 is only about 4

years old. This technology was developed in 1987 and received a patent in 1996.

#4 - Fast foward to the last 4 years and companies were using mp3 technology as a way to lure consumers in mass to services

which they had planned to charge for at some future point. Unfortunately, they forgot to ask the creators of the content for

the legal rights to do this. Internet Piracy has alway been a problem the DMCA was drafted to address many of these concern.

Mind you this was all years before the whole P2P revolution.

#5 - The p2p revolution did two fundamental things 1) it allow people to share without a central authority (this is good)
2) It allows people to sharewhat ever they want (This is good if you are a responsible user i.e. aware of laws and the

implications of doing this. It is not good if you think that because you purchased a cd/movie/sofware you own the rights to

do whatever you want with it including sharing it on the Internet see #4) Companies are smart enough to avoid these legal

hassels consumers now bear the burden of legal problems thanks to p2p and an uninformed userbase. (people ignorant of the

laws.)

#6 - The passion for free content comes primarily from two camps 1) (see #2)
and 2) If you got involved with the Internet in the last 3 - 6 years you probably don't know any other type of Internet

experience. You like a lot of people primarily got involved or got Interested in it when sites like Napster came along and

Scour and when MP3.com was new and the idea of free content was rampant. In other words you don't know the Internet in any

other way. So, this hostile legal climate seems unfair and for this I divert your attention back to points #3 - #5

I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

__________________
Lee Evans, President
LeeWare Development
http://www.leeware.com