Artists Split on Internet File Sharing

Artists and musicians mostly agree that unauthorized file sharing should be illegal, but a large majority believes file sharing poses a minor threat or no threat at all. That's the finding of a survey released Sunday by the Pew Internet polling organization.

The study could potentially be seen as a positive by either side in the file sharing trial in Australia, where record labels have sued Kazaa creator Sharman Networks for alleged rampant piracy occurring across its network.

The survey found that 52 percent of artists think unauthorized file sharing should be illegal, compared to 37 percent that feel it should be legal. When asked who should be prosecuted for breaking copyright laws, only 15 percent believed that the individuals were to blame, whereas nearly two-thirds believed the file sharing companies should bear the responsibility.

67 percent of respondents also believe that file sharing poses a minor threat or no threat at all to them, but were evenly split as to whether or not file sharing is a net good or bad for their profession.