Curious on the legality of torrents sites (1977, movies, techno)

[skel1977]

So most of you know by know what a torrent site is. I have never used them because I was always cautious of the MPAA and copy right infringement laws. I have heard numerous things from people regarding the legality of using such websites for personal use and I would like someone who knows for a fact what the laws are in the States.

I have a friend who told me this(below) in a nutshell and want to know if this is correct?

You are able to download the files legally as long as you dont share them out or attempt to duplicated copies. The files are not illegal while they are downloading. Once they have completed downloading fully then they become illegal to share out. They are not actually a file until the download is 100% done.

So basically what he told me was that its ok to download the file but once the file is complete remove it from your computer and do not seed it/share.

To me this make sense however I cant see how this would be legal. I mean this friend already has district 9 on DVD although its a cam recording. It sounds illegal to me.

He keeps hounding me to start using these sights but honestly Im afraid of getting sued.

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by skel1977

... You are able to download the files legally as long as you dont share them out or attempt to duplicated copies. The files are not illegal while they are downloading. Once they have completed downloading fully then they become illegal to share out...

They are copyrighted material no matter when or where they are. Unless they are public domain, downloading them for free is stealing. They do no become legal/illegal etc.

... They are not actually a file until the download is 100% done...

Well, they are a partial file until the downloading is complete. I would think that partially downloading a file shows intent.

... So basically what he told me was that its ok to download the file but once the file is complete remove it from your computer and do not seed it/share...

So it's OK for you to get a free copy from somebody illegally distributing copyrighted material but then it's not OK for you to illegally distribute it? No, how do you think the people you're getting the file from got it?

Be careful and take care

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

Torrents and their method of transfer are not illegal by themselves. There is plenty of legally distributed content available through torrents. When you start downloading copyrighted games, movies, music, books, etc then you are breaking the law.

[skel1977]

So I guess my next question would be "how can i know if what im downloading is legal"

I mean some of it is obvious. Im not going to download a movie such as Gi Joe and think that it is legal, but how do i find out of donwloading a audio book or something is legal

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

Originally Posted by skel1977

So I guess my next question would be "how can i know if what im downloading is legal"

I mean some of it is obvious. Im not going to download a movie such as Gi Joe and think that it is legal, but how do i find out of donwloading a audio book or something is legal

I'd say 99% of it is obvious. If you can buy it from a merchant or retailer than it's probably illegal to download (this automatically puts almost any movie, game, music, book into the illegal catagory). You are always free to contact the individual/group who owns the rights for clarification.

[RjRobb2]

To determine what is illegal or legal you just need to find out if what you are downloading has some kind of intellectual property protection.

[plaidmom]

I think...the law has not caught up with technology.

"Hold on, we are in for a bumpy ride."

[ferretkona]

Most of the torrent sites are located in countries not honoring copyright law. They have been trying to shut them down, but the courts in these countries do not cooperate. Some material is legal some is not. Use at your own risk and yes, remove off your computer when done.

[fromdust]

go through a proxy server when on them to hide your ip address.

[rubber_factory]

Originally Posted by skel1977

You are able to download the files legally as long as you dont share them out or attempt to duplicated copies. The files are not illegal while they are downloading. Once they have completed downloading fully then they become illegal to share out. They are not actually a file until the download is 100% done.

So basically what he told me was that its ok to download the file but once the file is complete remove it from your computer and do not seed it/share.

Well, technically there is no way to download a torrent without uploading the same torrent.

It is true that people are generally not prosecuted for downloading anything, they are prosecuted for uploading. However, I would not assume that this means downloading prohibited intellectual property is "legal".