Copying Isn't Cool by Scott Matthews: Article Analysis
Copying Isn 't Cool
In the article "Copying Isn 't Cool," the author Scott Matthews (n.d.), a software developer argues that pirating copyrighted material is a serious issue today that is immoral and should be stopped. Though he is open to discussion, he argues against the system of compensation for copyright holders proposed by EFF that suggests that all downloads be taxed, claiming that it would encourage file-sharing to an extent that it becomes unstoppable. It would also compromise free speech and privacy which would go against the claimed ideologies of the EFF itself. The article was well-organized, easy to read and quite persuasive because the reasoning was good; however, it lacked sufficient evidence in some places. The author seems a fairly open minded person and this is reflected in the article. He does not have a mind-set against changing file-sharing laws but rather proposes a debate in this regard. He is fairly authoritative in voicing his opinion and has a right to do so because being a software developer himself, he is well aware of the problems faced and the losses that a digital author has to bear due to the willful ignorance of people engaging in the practice of file-sharing. His tone is quite effective in the article, and though a little informal, works to his advantage because it gives a personal touch to it that appeals to the reader, and adds on to the persuasiveness of the article. The language and vocabulary used is fairly simple and easy to read, comprehensible enough for an average reader. His thoughts are well-organized with good reasoning. However, his claims lacked sufficient evidence in some places where facts and statistics could have contributed to further emphasizing them. For example, in paragraph 26, where he talked about the effects of illegal downloads on the music industry, perhaps a few facts and figures on how much the music industry loses per year, or figures of the number of downloads per day, statistics quite
In the article "Copying Isn 't Cool," the author Scott Matthews (n.d.), a software developer argues that pirating copyrighted material is a serious issue today that is immoral and should be stopped. Though he is open to discussion, he argues against the system of compensation for copyright holders proposed by EFF that suggests that all downloads be taxed, claiming that it would encourage file-sharing to an extent that it becomes unstoppable. It would also compromise free speech and privacy which would go against the claimed ideologies of the EFF itself. The article was well-organized, easy to read and quite persuasive because the reasoning was good; however, it lacked sufficient evidence in some places. The author seems a fairly open minded person and this is reflected in the article. He does not have a mind-set against changing file-sharing laws but rather proposes a debate in this regard. He is fairly authoritative in voicing his opinion and has a right to do so because being a software developer himself, he is well aware of the problems faced and the losses that a digital author has to bear due to the willful ignorance of people engaging in the practice of file-sharing. His tone is quite effective in the article, and though a little informal, works to his advantage because it gives a personal touch to it that appeals to the reader, and adds on to the persuasiveness of the article. The language and vocabulary used is fairly simple and easy to read, comprehensible enough for an average reader. His thoughts are well-organized with good reasoning. However, his claims lacked sufficient evidence in some places where facts and statistics could have contributed to further emphasizing them. For example, in paragraph 26, where he talked about the effects of illegal downloads on the music industry, perhaps a few facts and figures on how much the music industry loses per year, or figures of the number of downloads per day, statistics quite
References: Matthews, S. (n.d.). Copying isn 't cool. In A. Abusalim, N. Bilikozen, T. Ismail, & S. Sayed (eds.), Where I stand: The center and the periphery (1st ed.) (pp. 210-213). United Arab Emirates: Oriental Press.