If MP3 were to be banned on the grounds of copyright violations, then every other PC file format would also have to be banned, since intellectual property can also be misappropriated and misused by means of TXT or JPEG files. But no one can seriously consider outlawing these formats! Finally, the cause of copyright infringements lies in the motivation of the individual concerned, not in any particular file format.
Of course, one of the aims of developing MP3 was to make music compatible with the Internet, opening it up to the greater public. But it is intended primarily as a platform for artists wishing to release their own music – outside the music industry – and present it to a wider audience. Composing tracks and offering your own compositions as MP3 files for download on your private homepage is and always will be legal! Of course, when downloading files, you must respect the intellectual property rights of the artist in question. Sticking to this rule will ensure the future of MP3 as the basis of a creative network, and prevent its abuse as an instrument of music piracy! But quite independently of this, MP3 is and will remain legal!
