"College student Omar Ahmad says the entertainment industry has to realize that people his age aren't likely to change their piracy habits"

Herald Times Reporter "Young people want their music, TV and movies now — even if it means they get these things illegally." by Martha Irvine

'A recent Columbia University survey found, in fact, that 70 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they had bought, copied or downloaded unauthorized music, TV shows or movies, compared with 46 percent of all adults who'd done the same.

'"I love iTunes but I do think $1.29 (per song) is quite a lot of money, especially if people think, 'Oh, I can get this for free,'" said Maria Wittman, an Appleton native who lives in Sturtevant, in southeastern Wisconsin. "I think if there's a cheaper alternative for people, they might download more legally."

'With such an entrenched attitude, what can be done about widespread online piracy?

'Certainly law enforcement has gone after scofflaws like these, hitting them with fines and, in some cases, even jail time.

'Congress is considering controversial anti-piracy bills that would, among other things, forbid search engines from linking to foreign websites accused of copyright infringement. And there are lawsuits pitting media heavyweights against Internet firms — notably Viacom's billion-dollar litigation against YouTube.

'But here's a radical notion to consider: What if young people who steal content weren't viewed as the problem?'

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