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Is Aquisition legal?

A

Alonzo1

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 6, 2006
38
0
Well, is it?

I ask because there are some songs I'd like to get that I can't find on the iTunes music store.
 
It depends on what you're downloading/sharing. The vast majority stuff is not legal. Unless the artist and their label have agreed to free distribution (which is extremely unlikely unless it's an unsigned artist looking for publicity), it's illegal.
 
The program itself and p2p filesharing is legal.

Using it to gain access to copyrighted material (99.999% of music, movies, TV shows, software and even some photos) is most definitely illegal.
 
Alonzo1 said:
I ask because there are some songs I'd like to get that I can't find on the iTunes music store.
Click to expand...
So go to a music store and ask. Most larger stores can source any materials.
 
WildCowboy said:
It depends on what you're downloading/sharing. The vast majority stuff is not legal. Unless the artist and their label have agreed to free distribution (which is extremely unlikely unless it's an unsigned artist looking for publicity), it's illegal.
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Artist has no say, it comes from the person who paid for the recording and the publisher. They are the two people who own the copyrights.
 
howesey said:
Artist has no say, it comes from the person who paid for the recording and the publisher. They are the two people who own the copyrights.
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And generally, with unsigned bands, the band paid for the recording and publishing (or at least getting copies of the CD made, and then selling them wherever.)

But downloading copyrighted files is not illegal. UPLOADING and making them available for uploading IS.
 
Counterfit said:
...................................But downloading copyrighted files is not illegal. UPLOADING and making them available for uploading IS.
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for what country are you speaking? it's certainly different in different countries.
 
andiwm2003 said:
for what country are you speaking? it's certainly different in different countries.
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A better way to explain it is that uploading is where all the enforcement action is, because to catch downloading would quickly get mired in entrapment and privacy issues.
 
Wow, I never heard that kind of question before.

But seems everyone has answered it sans-flames here.

If you can DOWNLOAD a program from Apples site, or Download.com or any other reputable site, then of course its LEGAL.

What you do with it can possibly be ILLEGAL, but to even think a readily available program that is widely used is ILLEGAL is kinda like, lacking common sense?
 
howesey said:
Artist has no say, it comes from the person who paid for the recording and the publisher. They are the two people who own the copyrights.
Click to expand...
The people who own the copyrights own the copyrights.

You can't say that this is not the artist. In the case of vocal music, there are at least two copyrights, on the lyrics and on the music. Oftentimes, songwriters will have their own publishing companies that hold the copyrights, and they then license these to other companies.
 
CanadaRAM said:
The people who own the copyrights own the copyrights.

You can't say that this is not the artist. In the case of vocal music, there are at least two copyrights, on the lyrics and on the music. Oftentimes, songwriters will have their own publishing companies that hold the copyrights, and they then license these to other companies.
Click to expand...

What the RAM said.


Lethal
 
Chundles said:
The program itself and p2p filesharing is legal.

Using it to gain access to copyrighted material (99.999% of music, movies, TV shows, software and even some photos) is most definitely illegal.
Click to expand...

Do you think it's right to DL copyrighted material that you have bought?? I had most of my CDs stolen during my last vacation (damn you frenchies) and I decided to get all my albums back by using p2p. I see no problem in this situation. Does the law beg to differ?
 
Bobdude161 said:
Do you think it's right to DL copyrighted material that you have bought?? I had most of my CDs stolen during my last vacation (damn you frenchies) and I decided to get all my albums back by using p2p. I see no problem in this situation. Does the law beg to differ?
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It does beg to differ unfortunately.

Similar analogy, if I were to lose or have my CD's stolen I would not be able to just walk into a music store and expect them to replace the CDs free of charge. Same with a car, if it's stolen the car company isn't going to give you a free one - that's what insurance is for. If you had the CDs insured (highly unlikely) then the insurance company would have a list of the ones you owned and would replace them for you - this is a service you pay for and has nothing to do with the record companies.
 
Chundles said:
It does beg to differ unfortunately.

Similar analogy, if I were to lose or have my CD's stolen I would not be able to just walk into a music store and expect them to replace the CDs free of charge.
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It *is* a similar analogy, and of course it's not legal, but he's not walking into a shop and physically taking product, he's transferring a bunch of 1s and 0s.
Try explaining that that is theft to a person that has grown up in the digital age.
Quite a can of worms wouldn't you say?
 
ShopJockey said:
It *is* a similar analogy, and of course it's not legal, but he's not walking into a shop and physically taking product, he's transferring a bunch of 1s and 0s.
Try explaining that that is theft to a person that has grown up in the digital age.
Quite a can of worms wouldn't you say?
Click to expand...

And how is theft of information different, other than it is easier?

If I hack your bank account and change the 0s and 1s so that you now have $9.00 instead of $900.00 then that wouldn't be comparable??

If I transfer some 0's and 1's that happen to represent a photo of you and your significant other doing the horizontal bop, and sell that to Hustler Mag, then you may get a little exercised about that -- even though I have removed nothing physical from you and it hasn't cost you anything.

It's a digital world. Data is property. A license agreement and a copyright are like a fence and a front door. You can get past both, but it's still theft.

PS: I know you're not advocating it, and you agree it's illegal -- but you are opening the apologists' door.
 
downloading something you bought SHOULD be legal

yeah i know ... old thread .. but i got 2 cents and no other place to put it

When I buy a CD, i don't care about the disc, the plastic, the paper, the prints, designs or any of that - or even the 1's and 0's. I care that I am buying the right to listen to and enjoy that music.

So if someone steals the plastic - good for them - karma will make sure they suffer - but can't i still listen to the music? are you telling me that if i copied it from the CD to my ipod, then i have the right to listen to it still? but if i didn't, but could download it at no cost to the copyright owner, and just say that "i didn't download it but when i DID have the cd that i copied it to my ipod"?

and lets say i own a cd, and my friend owns the same cd, and i just got a shiny new ipod and i want to load it up with music but i'm at his house and not mine, can i load his CD into my ipod?

Well legally probably not either of those. The law is sooooooo 1900s
 
Perfectly legal, just like any other P2P application.
Sharing copyrighted material may be illegal though, but that is a different matter.
 
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