If I'm a Netflix subscriber is it OK to download movies with P2P?

Question

With Netflix you pay a flat fee for all the movies you can rent, one or more at a time depending on your level of service, owing to the variables of the US mail and Netflix mailing center turn around. Since Netflix doesn't work perfectly, and sometimes they don't have enough of a certain movie to go around, isn't it then OK to download a movie from time to time? Would the artist or studio actually lose money off this deal, or does it sound fair and reasonable?

Answer 1

You are still looking for a loophole, and it's still stealing.

You are asking if it's okay to not pay for movies that you would otherwise pay for. You're asking if it's okay to not pay for movies because you are too impatient to wait for Netflix. You are asking if it's okay to not pay for movies because you're too lazy to walk on down to the local video store and rent it in person.

Then, strictly speaking, no, it's not okay. Is someone going to prosecute you? Doubtful. Do lots of people do it? Yes. Is the amount of money you alone are stealing from Netflix or movie studios quite small? Yes. But you are still taking something for free that would otherwise be paid for.

And your reasons are that you are not willing to wait, or find other legal ways to see the movie, which is incredibly lame as far as justifications go.

Since you otherwise pay a fee to Netflix who in turns pays the studios who own the films, you are already aware that there is a monetary value attached to it.

I, personally,have no problem paying to see films I want to see, or waiting for others to reach DVD. And frankly, illegal downloading is stupid, because if studios continue to lose money, then they are not going to continue making exciting big-budget movies that you can see at your local theatre.

Answer 2

Legally? No, that's a violation of copyright. You're making a copy of the movie sent out by netflix. It's really no different than burning a copy of the dvd you get from them.

As for money... if netflix doesn't have enough copies of a movie, they will often buy more to fill the demand. If you download instead of putting the movie in your queue, that could indeed cause the artist and studio to gain less money.

Answer 3

I hope no one is going to track me down and arrest me for this :) but my thoughts are that it's okay to download or burn movies as long as you wouldn't have normally gone to see that movie. There are some movies I would never have gone to see in the theatre or bought on DVD, but because they were online I watched them. Actually, in one case it was a good idea. I would never have bought or watched the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but I watched it online and liked it so much, I then went out and bought it on DVD and bought all the Jay and Silent Bob films.