Is it still illegal to download songs as long as I don't distribute/sell them?
What are the chances of being caught if so?
What CAN you do on limewire legally?
Anything about it that anybody can help me with, because I'm not really sure if I should download it because I'm scared if I do something illegal.
2007-03-06 10:02:08 · 12 answers · asked by susan 2 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Music & Music Players
where can you find out if something is copyrighted so i don't download anything illegally?
2007-03-06 10:08:52 · update #1
No, the software itself is not illegal. You can use it legally to download anything that is not copyright protected. You can't download anything with a copyright legally. The chances of getting caught are slim as long as you don't keep more than about ten songs in your limewire shared folder. To avoid getting caught I would install a wireless router in your home and as soon as you get the songs you want move them to another folder. Once you have enough on the other folder burn them to a cd and delete them from your computer using a program like eraser http://www.download.com/Eraser/3000-2092_4-10231813.html?tag=lst-0-5 . This way if they do come knock on your door ask for a search warrant. This can buy some time and you can delete limewire and all of the contents. If they have to go get one after they search and find nothing say someone must be getting on your router. If they already have a search warrant all they can search is the contents of your hard drive and if you only have a few songs then they only charge you 1 dollar per song and like 100 court cost. Don't pay for the pro version of limewire because your name is on thier list. Don't download any files other than mp3 format. Some of the rar, zip, exe, wmv contain viruses and others like WMA files have digital rights in them so the man can track you down. So as a general rule If it is not a mp3 file leave it alone.
2007-03-06 10:04:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Okay, this question is asked every five minutes, but here we go:
NO. The software itself is not illegal.
Yes, it is illegal to download songs even if you're not making a profit or distributing them- unless you already own the CD.
You can share music that the artists have distributed under Creative Commons, likewise with video, images, and documents.
The chances of you being "caught" for downloading that's not on a massive scale are very very slim. Limewire is not a centralized network, and individual users are hard to identify.
If you're that worried about it, just buy it from iTunes.
2007-03-06 10:09:21 · answer #2 · answered by Jason R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't really use LimeWire much...too much adult content that comes up. I use a better program; much faster, much safer; MP3 Rocket. DO NOT USE KAZAA. It crashes your computer. LimeWire is legal; if it was illegal, then it would be taken off and alot of other people arrested. however it is legal on one main condition; dont sell or distribute music that you get on LimeWire. I believe that is the only rule.
2007-03-06 10:08:28 · answer #3 · answered by enzo32ferrari 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Downloading copyrighted software, music, or movies from Limewire is illegal. By using Limewire, you're automatically sharing the songs that you download, so you're distributing while you're downloading.
2007-03-06 10:06:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is illegal to download and share copyrighted music but you can stop sharing the file as soon as you've downloaded it. The only people who are getting into trouble with the RIAA are people who are sharing thousands of songs or have downloaded thousands of songs to the same computer.
2007-03-06 10:11:54 · answer #5 · answered by foxfire101 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had limewire for over a year now and I haven't had any troubles with it. I am pretty sure that it is 100% legal.
2007-03-06 10:05:27 · answer #6 · answered by Maid of Constant Sorrow 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DON'T LISTEN TO THESE OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS ILLEGAL AND THE ONLY REASON THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SHUT DOWN IS THAT THEY HAVE PEOPLE FILL OUT AN AGREEMENT TO USE IT AT THEIR OWN RISK CLEARING THEM OF ANY WRONGDOING...BUT, ANYWAY IT'S TOTALLY ILLEGAL...I LEARNED THE HARD WAY!!! NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER USE LIMEWIRE OR KAZAA!!! I GOT A TON OF VIRUSES AND SPYWARE THAT CAUSED ME TO LOSE THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF MY HARDDRIVE AND CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO REINSTALL WINDOWS XP FROM SCRATCH!!! DON'T RISK IT!!! YOU'RE BETTER OFF GOING TO YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARY, BORROWING CDS, AND IMPORTING THEM INTO YOUR COMPUTER!!!
2007-03-06 10:18:23 · answer #7 · answered by Yeah Yeah Yeah 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not if you buy the limewire pro but no its not illegal i guess because i have it
2007-03-06 10:14:14 · answer #8 · answered by KKSLTER 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ITS legal, they wouldnt allow it to be downloaded if it is illegal, and some newsbroadcasts use it!!
2007-03-06 10:10:38 · answer #9 · answered by grafunit 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i doubt its illegal, or something would have been on the news by now. besides, isnt everything pirated nowadays? =]
2007-03-06 10:06:49 · answer #10 · answered by aznboardergirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋