Digital Copyright laws

So I can safely assume that most of my generation has downloaded some sort of file illegally. Yes that's right there are pirates amongst us!! Although today's modern digital pirates are a far cry from the past swashbuckling, "arrg matey", usually violent sailors. Today they are your average boy/girl, teen, twenty-something, thirty-something etc. Pretty much anyone with a computer could be a pirate! There might be some out there who don't even know they're breaking the laws, they just think that a file they are getting is a free file and that we are sharing files not stealing. Back before there was all this digital music (yes there was a time when CD's ruled the music world) I remember making copies of my friend's favorite disks. They owned the CD why couldn't they make copies to put on mixed CD's. Does anyone remember the mixed tape craze? Where you would make a mixed tape for your sweetheart that said all the things that you wanted to say in music form? Anyhoo I diverge from the point, which is if this was ok then why can't we do the same thing over the web? If I wanted to share some music files with my friends in Bulgaria shouldn't I be able to ? Those of you who are old enough to remember the fiasco with Napster and the whole music industry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napster  I was on the Napster side. So what were all the laws they broke? Some downloaders have been prosecuted in violation of copyright laws, what about those that were over seas? I must find out (or so my prof says) how I'm breaking the laws so that when it comes to my turn to stand before the judge I can argue a case against my supposed piracy! ARRRRRRRG PIRATES!