Just as the empowered citizens of the United States sought to protect their newly acquired rights and entitlements by amending the Constitution in 1791, we as composers, disseminators, and fans of digital music, must fight for the powers and freedoms given to us as active participants of the Internet Revolution. The web has given us the ability to effectively promote ourselves and distribute our products to audiences around the world. Without these freedoms, which directly emanate from U.S. Copyright law, many of us who dream of focusing their talents and energies on music creation would be economically unable to do so – an outcome that would diminish artistic expression today and for future generations.
At this time, when so many forces are seeking to label us as pirates and to limit both our artistic expression and the flow of free music, this Filesharing Bill of Rights looks to clarify the entitlements that every music creator, disseminator, and fan enjoys as a necessary participant of the digital music ecosystem:
We have the right to use legal online services and social media outlets to upload and distribute our own creative works as authorized free releases.
We have the right to use legal online services and social media outlets to download and redistribute the authorized promotional projects of others.
We have the right to later withhold permission to or license the use of our free creative works at will, on artistic, economic or philosophical grounds.
We have the right to protect our creative works to the fullest extent of the law from all forms of unauthorized use, which deprive us of our right to earn a living based on our creativity.
We have the right to advocate for strong laws protecting our rights to upload, distribute, download, and share free authorized creative works as we choose, and demand that our government vigorously uphold and protect our rights.