..sharing programs to download anything from software to videos and movies. Even I have done that. I was reading in a leading Indian computer magazine that in some countries this is considered "illegal", because the entertainment industry is thus losing a lot of money Is it illegal in U.S.A. ? So if someone downloads movies in America, does he/she have to pay for that besides the broadband charge !!? In India no such cyber laws have still been implemented.........I am not talking here about 'other' cyber related crimes, but what I have said above (downloading), I don't consider that a 'crime'.
2007-02-16 17:03:20 · 6 answers · asked by shankd67 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Internet
Yes, it is illegal in the U.S. to download copyrighted material such as movies and songs. It isn't necessarily a "crime" under "cyber laws" as such; rather, it is a form of copyright infringement (intellectual property law violation).
If you download movies in the U.S. using mIRC or some other client, you do not have to pay. This, however, is illegal. The only legal way to download songs/movies is to pay for some service such as iTunes or Napster.
2007-02-16 17:16:29 · answer #1 · answered by imma_lost2001 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The laws being violated are basic copyright laws, which most countries have. Basically the laws say that if you create something you have the right to decide who gets to use it, and for instance charge someone for using it.
Without this right authors, songwriters, software engineers and many more people's work can be taken and used without their permission. A patent is another example of this kind of belief that a law needs to be there to protect the right of the inventor. If this wasn't true the moment someone created something everyone would just copy it and if this kept happening why would the person(s) that created this continue doing it?
And if you say yeah I can see protecting people, but why a big business? Well the business is where at lot of the money comes from to pay people that do the actual creating, not to mention the fact that it might take a lot of money to produce it to the point where you even want to download it.
2007-02-17 01:19:14 · answer #2 · answered by Bulk O 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What kind of broadband? Fiber? On television they said all the world has glass fiber broadband, but NOT in America. You guys are so lucky! No way jose can you download a movie in America. It would take a years time! I saw a special on tv and they said something about starting a new service where you can download a movie. I said to myself, "No way! Not without fiber!" The rest of the world have all the luck!:(
2007-02-17 01:22:32 · answer #3 · answered by Simple 8 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Technically the act of using Limewire/Kazaa/Morpheus or any other P2P file sharing system IS PERFECTLY LEGAL. However, the act of sharing copyrighted music is what the authorities will prosecute for, as you are allowing other users to download something which they should pay for, for free.
The act of downloading music which is being shared by other users, is illegal, however the authorities will prosecute those who are sharing a "significant amount of music" - like drugs they will go after the DEALERS not the USERS.
2007-02-17 01:12:50 · answer #4 · answered by G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most types of theft are illegal in the usa. Yes stealing copyrighted material is illegal. One legal form of theft in the usa is committed on a daily basis by lawyers.
2007-02-24 11:55:02 · answer #5 · answered by Catman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes its illegal
2007-02-17 01:08:13 · answer #6 · answered by homeboy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋