Question: In light of the recent Napster case, what are your views on Internet file-sharing and the protection of intellectual property online? Where would your administration draw the line regarding freedom to access content versus copyright infringement?
Submitted from Mary of Front Royal, Virginia through Yahoo! (10/17/00)
Answer from George W. Bush:
The New High Tech Economy Brings New Questions
Mary, the Napster case typifies some of the thorny questions we'll face...
...as our nation shifts from a bricks-and-mortar economy to one where our most valuable commodity is information and creative content.
As you know, Napster's peer-to-peer filesharing software allows people to share music files with other users for free.
I will not comment on the Napster case specifically because it is a pending federal court legal matter. However, I do believe we must find a way to apply our copyright laws to ensure that artists, writers, and creators can earn a profit from their creations, while at the same time, adapting to and utilizing new technologies to deliver media to consumers in an Information Age.
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