In 1999 the Napster file transfer service first released software allowing internet users to engage in the mass digital distribution of copyrighted music online. Since then, so-called "file-sharing"—termed "theft" by the entertainment industry—has become a cultural phenomenon. Individuals who would not dream of shoplifting a music CD from a record store, even if they knew that they could somehow "get away with it," do not hesitate to use peer-to-peer software to download and upload large amounts of unauthorized copyrighted songs and, increasingly, motion pictures. The phenomenon is particularly acute at high schools and colleges. To say the least, this has caused grave concern among members of the entertainment industry. According to these content providers, the ability to transfer massive amounts of perfect digital copies threatens their very existence. Moreover, though early peer-to-peer software focused on the transfer of smaller music files, advances in peer-to-peer technology
