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Why is downloading "illegally" really illegal? j-whitt987 Send a noteboard - 19/01/2011 03:30:57 PM
This is a question I ask myself from time-to-time as I download TV shows and movies from various less than legal sources. The obvious answer is, "It's illegal because you're not buying the DVDs and that is screwing everyone involved in making said movie/TV show out of their fair share of the money that would be made." Or even, "It's copyright infringement pure and simple and that's what makes it illegal." Maybe I'm just trying to justify my actions, but I feel like neither of these really makes sense. Back in the days of using a VCR I would record a show on a video cassette and re-watch it many times. I would even let friends borrow the tapes and watch them if they enjoyed what I had recorded. How is that different from downloading torrents? I never bought the DVDs when I was watching TV this way. Therefore the companies responsible for the shows or movies never lost any money. Even today I can DVR an episode of TV and watch it weeks later. If I choose to I could hook a VCR up to my TV and use it to copy the DVRed program to a tape and lend that out to the four people in the world that still use their VCRs on a regular basis.
Kirk: Spock, you want to know something? Everybody’s human.
Spock: I find that remark…insulting.
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Why is downloading "illegally" really illegal? - 19/01/2011 03:30:57 PM 1549 Views
Hmmm - 19/01/2011 05:00:16 PM 1201 Views
I think - 19/01/2011 05:11:56 PM 1115 Views
you can't legally record and distribute TV shows - 19/01/2011 05:21:06 PM 1191 Views
Re: you can't legally record and distribute TV shows - 19/01/2011 09:52:48 PM 1283 Views
Many shows (especially sports) forbid the duplication of said show in a statement or the credits. - 20/01/2011 03:22:10 AM 1149 Views
I haven't been able to read the credits for TV shows in years. - 20/01/2011 03:51:40 AM 1012 Views
Ignorance of the law is not a valid defence *NM* - 21/01/2011 01:21:25 PM 560 Views
How do you figure that? - 21/01/2011 02:08:13 PM 1101 Views
Re: How do you figure that? - 21/01/2011 09:09:19 PM 1167 Views
Re: How do you figure that? - 21/01/2011 09:19:46 PM 1029 Views
Re: How do you figure that? - 22/01/2011 08:33:04 PM 1534 Views
What is an imaginary island? - 23/01/2011 04:47:40 AM 1153 Views
In some places it's exactly that - 23/01/2011 07:35:32 AM 1384 Views
A lot of it's volume. - 19/01/2011 05:32:03 PM 1084 Views
Your argument lacks merit. - 19/01/2011 05:50:11 PM 1093 Views
Agreed. - 19/01/2011 06:01:13 PM 969 Views
Both terms lack accuracy in this case really. - 19/01/2011 06:37:29 PM 1361 Views
That's what I mean right there. - 19/01/2011 06:48:38 PM 1138 Views
The punishable crime is - 21/01/2011 01:57:54 PM 1298 Views
Re: Your argument lacks merit. - 20/01/2011 03:40:20 PM 1048 Views
In my opinion - 19/01/2011 09:22:29 PM 1090 Views
The battle is over, the internet won - 19/01/2011 10:12:50 PM 1074 Views
We need to distinguish between a crime and a tort. - 19/01/2011 10:17:30 PM 1197 Views
Very interesting. - 19/01/2011 10:28:35 PM 1231 Views
Another scrabble word for you is "delict". That's what we call tort in Scotland. - 19/01/2011 10:37:08 PM 1138 Views
I saw. - 19/01/2011 10:41:27 PM 1025 Views
It won't get you very many points. - 19/01/2011 10:37:26 PM 989 Views
I would set me up for tortellini. - 19/01/2011 10:40:45 PM 1011 Views
Also in most circumstances you could use "trot" instead. *NM* - 19/01/2011 10:42:26 PM 626 Views
Very nice legal overview, also I like Scotland's approach a lot - 19/01/2011 11:21:47 PM 1048 Views
Unfortunately, damages can result in thousands of dollars for one song - 22/01/2011 08:19:40 PM 980 Views

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