Music & Other protected media downloading Info

[Enigma]

*edit* The Moderator of this section has had a name change from Hottstreak to Punkarella. You can still click on the Hottstreak username to contact her, it will redirect you to the Punkarella profile.

I thought I would make a little sticky thread on the ever confusing world of P2P, [peer to peer programs, such as LimeWire and BearShare, etc] and the legality of it.

There is a legal way to download music and such, and there is also, the illegal way.

P2P and other file sharing software, is legal.
Using it to upload or download copyright protected media - music, videos, images, software - without the copyright holder's consent is illegal because it is theft. The creators of those products are not being paid, and permission has not been granted.
[Think of it like someone stealing a photo of you online, they didn’t pay for it, nor do they have your permission]

Even if you upgrade to a Pro Version of these P2P programs, it is still legal to have it, but it is also still illegal to download copyright protected media. [Music, videos, images, software] You are only paying for an upgraded version of the software; you are not paying for the rights to these protected Medias.

To legally download any kind of copyright protected media from the internet, you have to purchase the actual item. For example, if you really wanted that new track out right now, by ‘who-sa-ma-call-them’, then you could go to the following pages and pay 99c for that track.

There are stores that offer this service, such as;

BigPond Music Downloads
And
Apple - iTunes - Download iTunes



If you would like to read more on this matter, these links may be of interest to you;

Internet File Sharing - The Myths Explained
And
WikiAnswers - Is downloading songs from Limewire illegal or legal

If you have any Q’s about this topic, please feel free to ask.
I hope this clears up any confusion.

[cheekypuss]

Originally Posted by Hottstreak

To legally download any kind of copyright protected media from the internet, you have to purchase the actual item. For example, if you really wanted that new track out right now, by ‘who-sa-ma-call-them’, then you could go to the following pages and pay 99c for that track.

i couldn't find their new song....................

Sorry hun, I just couldn't help myself!!!