Welcome to BASE21

By Hong Hyun-bin, Editor
malalika@hanmail.net

There is some hot news that heated up the notice board on the Internet these days. It is not about the absurdity of military service or Kim Nam-il who is a soccer player at the height of his popularity, but about `Soribada' service. Many people who use the Internet were linked together by music. `Soribada' turned it into a possibility. Though `Soribada' service is resumed now, the service had been discontinued a few days ago by reason of copyright law. Also, nobody knows when the service will be discontinued. Most people who use `Soribada' just heard music purely but some people used to make CDs from MP3 files using CDwriter. Such acts depress record producers and singers.
There are various opinions about the discontinuation of the `Soribada' service. The Recording Industry Association of Korea(RIAK) insists that sales quantity has decreased absurdly because of `Soribada' and the record company will go bankrupt because of the Internet element in this trend. Some people insist that using the MP3 files which individuals have for nonprofit is not unlawful and therefore `Soribada' isn't an illegal site on the Internet. Some people say that the decision of the court at this time was not the final decree about the illegality of the `Soribada' service, but people should think more carefully. Because final decision of the court doesn't have an influence only on `Soribada' and MP3 files, but also on all literary works on the Internet in the future. In other words, the final decision about the `Soribada' service will be the standard for the use of all literary works as well, so they say that the power of influence will be excessive and the final decision should be handed down carefully.

1. Is the recession in the record market caused by the `Soribada' service?
Record companies attribute the recession in the record market to the `Soribada' service. They even said that record companies will fail, but the factor which effects losses in record sales is illegal reproductions. Everybody will hesitate to buy a CD or tape because many people only like 1 to 2 tracks from an album. Consequently, many people buy illegal reproductions at a low price. The control on illegal reproduction has been maintained, but there are places not within the government's reach because of too many illegal reproductions. RIAK attributes losses like that to the community of MP3 music file system offered by `Soribada'. Their intention is ultimately to sell more records. If RIAK wins out in the final decision, the community of MP3 music files will become illegal. But it is the unknown for consumers to turn their eyes to the record market under the situation where consumers are not satisfied with the quality of records.

2. `Soribada' and `Napster', what is the difference?
`Soribada' is often compared with `napster' of theU.S., so `Soribada' is called the `Napster' of Korea. `Napster' received a breach of copyright sentence. `Soribada' may experience the same fate as `Napster', but there are structural differences between `Soribada' and `Napster'. `Napster' doesn't control only information about the people who use it, but also the database of music in the central server. On the other hand, `Soribada' controls only information about the people who use it in the central server. Reference to music and interchange of MP3 file occur among people who use it. In this way, `Napster' participates more than `Soribada' in the interchange of MP3 file as a means of control in the central server. `Soribada' plays a mediating role among the people who use `Soribada', so the main body of people who is being called to account is those who use it.
`Napster' lost its case, but it may not be the case that `Soribada' will suffer the same fate. The final decision is not always right and honest. The U.S. companies are multinational corporations that have business activities worldwide. Nobody can ignore the power of their influence through their capital and lobbying power. A Netizen wrote that continuous lawsuits of RIAK are not about copyright protection, but to discontinue `Soribada' and take the indemnities (`Napster' had an astronomical amount of indemnity) on the homepage, which is meant to revive `Soribada'.

3. Will you pay a toll to use `Soribada'?
The `Soribada' service was resumed under a new version, but RIAK is growing impatient that the `Soribada' service is not being discontinued. Far from being narrow, their opinion is widening. In this situation, the opinion is that `Soribada' should start charging for its service after reaching a compromise with record companies. It is a mere makeshift measure. That is to say, it is just a ceasefire between `Soribada' and RIAK. Nobody knows how the problem of copyright will resolve itself. Problem similar with those of `Soribada' will appear continuously and the problem won't end. It is a problem of copyright fundamentally.