Final answer:
Copyright law unequivocally applies to music, ensuring protection against unauthorized use including reproduction, performance, or distribution. This legal framework, which extends for the life of the creator plus 70 years, enforces the rights of authors over their music, even in digital form when downloaded from the Internet.
Step-by-step explanation:
Copyright law does apply to music, including music downloaded from the Internet. State and federal governments have provided laws to protect intellectual property, such as copyrights and patents. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, copyright is a form of protection for original works of authorship, which includes a variety of creative works, and specifically for music, it prevents unauthorized reproduction, display, or performance without the author's permission. This protection lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. Moreover, the Supreme Court case of MGM Studios v. Grokster (2005) established that companies distributing file-sharing software that enables copyright infringement can be held legally accountable. Hence, when music is illegally downloaded, it undermines the creator's economic rights.