About Piracy Music theft—or piracy—is constantly evolving as technology changes. Many different actions qualify as piracy, from downloading unauthorized versions of copyrighted music from a file-sharing service to illegally copying music using streamripping software or mobile apps.
Read on to learn to distinguish between legal and illegal practices. To report piracy, please click here. What the Law Says and What it Means Making unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings is against the law and may subject you to civil and criminal liability. What the Courts Have to Say A long series of court rulings has made it very clear that uploading and downloading copyrighted music without permission on P2P networks constitutes infringement and could be a crime.
You make an MP3 copy of a song because the CD you bought expressly permits you to do so. But then you put your MP3 copy on the Internet, using a file-sharing network, so that millions of other people can download it. Then you download unauthorized copies of all the music you want.
You transfer copyrighted music using an instant messaging service. Some even throw in VPNs for good measure. Torrents, on the other hand, require that you share at least some identifying information to connect to the tracker and peers.
Usenet providers make files available for a certain number of days. How many depends on the provider, but the standard is 1, days after the original posting.
Until that time is up, users have full access to that file. Torrents only stay up as long as people seed the file. Trackers can be private or public, and the former usually requires an invitation from an existing member. Anyone can just go to their respective websites and search without logging in or requiring any sort of authentication. Likewise, anyone can upload files for others to download.
These uploads are not moderated, so users must judge whether a download is safe and accurate based on comments and the reputation of the uploader. Private trackers are more exclusive both in terms of who can upload and who can download within a group. They vary wildly in terms of content and quality, but many members of private trackers attest that they have higher quality files, faster downloads, longer retention, and an overall more consistent and safe experience.
The law views private trackers the same as public trackers. Internet piracy is piracy whether you do it in public or within a private group. Many people have moved away from downloading entire files through BitTorrent and opt instead to stream video content either on their web browsers or through customized programs like Kodi. However, this depends largely on your country. In India, a court ruled that it is absolutely not illegal. Those who upload the videos without compensating or asking permission from the copyright holder do so illegally.
But streaming transmits a video directly from a website to your device, with no third parties involved. The website could be logging IP addresses or other information about its users, which it could then hand over to law enforcement or a copyright troll. Your ISP could monitor your activity and see that you are watching pirated content. These are risks that can be mitigated by connecting to a reputable VPN.
When it comes to security, streaming video carries just as many risks as torrenting. Websites that stream pirated content tend to be chock full of intrusive ads, malware, and phishing threats.
Kodi users are subject to man-in-the-middle MITM attacks and other threats from the add-ons they download. As a rule of thumb, avoid downloading movies that were released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the past 60 days, especially big-hit blockbusters. Copyright holders will put most of their anti-piracy resources into going after torrenters of new releases to minimize the financial damage.
The same goes for TV series, shows and video games. Users of Popcorn Time, the free movie-streaming app, should tread just as carefully as torrenters. All the risks associated with Popcorn Time apply in equal measure to torrenting. Choose your torrents wisely. The most popular torrents on ThePirateBay and KickassTorrents are probably the ones being most closely monitored by copyright trolls. Read through the comments section, where users often run virus scans on torrent downloads and post the results.
They will also give you a general review of the quality. Even if the comments are positive, run your own virus scans as well. Ideally, use multiple antivirus programs to run an array of scans, as each of their virus libraries can differ.
Not all antivirus programs play nice with each other , however, so mixing two or more must be done with care. We recommend Bitdefender to scan all downloads before opening. Cracks make it easier to bypass DRM schemes that validate content with the publisher, but they also make it easier to distribute hidden malware, spyware, and viruses. BitTorrent is a network and protocol used to share files, so BitTorrent itself cannot install adware on your computer. However, the programs used to connect to the BitTorrent network and download files, called torrent managers or torrent clients, can and often do come with adware.
The files you download can also contain malware and adware. Stick to reputable torrent managers and, if prompted, refuse any offers to install additional software alongside them.
These additional programs are often adware. If you're downloading something from Google Drive, then it's not a torrent. It's just a download. The file might have originally been downloaded through BitTorrent, then uploaded to Google Drive where others can download it. Semantics aside, if the content of the file is protected by copyright, then yes, it is illegal to download pirated files from Google Drive. Most torrenters use public trackers to find and download files through BitTorrent.
So in that sense, yes, you can download a torrent from a public place provided you have a torrent client installed on your device. The files themselves are downloaded from other BitTorrent users who have downloaded the file and are now uploading it to fellow users. Private trackers are also available and are often safer, but typically require an invitation from an existing member.
Check your local laws and regulations. The music recording industry has, on occasion, aggressively targeted torrenters who engaged in music piracy. These days, litigation is mostly done by copyright trolls who target torrenters on behalf of recording studios.
They usually go through internet service providers to contact torrenters. By using a VPN, you can greatly reduce the risk of being identified by a copyright troll. Private vs Public tracker: Public trackers are open for anyone to use and monitor.
This is where the evil trolls live because the door is open to all. Private trackers on the other hand are invite only, have strict rules and are highly watched over by the tracker admins, sysops and moderators.
They stand guard at the door for user and tracker protection. This does however make it hard to become a member but so worth it when you are. Private trackers often have better quality and availability of media, some even specialize in what they offer. It is a remote torrent downloader typically rtorrent with the rutorrent interface that you access in your browser. All uploading and downloading happens on a server somewhere else in the world and is usually very FAST.
To get the files you can use several safe methods of transfer or even stream it depending upon the service purchased. There are many of these providers available today and they range in capacity, speed and bandwidth quota. If there is one piece of advice to give it would be simply to not use public trackers for any non-public domain material, especially TV, movies and games without some method of hiding your real IP address, no exceptions!
Is that enough to almost completly disappear and not be traced for past downloads? Our general rule of thumb: If paying for something will lead to money in the pockets of the people who made it, you should probably pay for it. Any discussion of the legality of streaming in the U. There have been numerous challenges and interpretations as copyright law has adapted to the internet, but this reading has essentially held true.
This means that individual internet streamers cannot be subject to felony prosecution under the PLSA, for example by incorporating unauthorized content in a YouTube or Twitch stream.
Nicole Haff, partner and head of litigation at Romano Law PLLC , a firm focused on business, media, sports and entertainment law, agreed with this interpretation. One of the most common arguments for unlicensed streaming violating copyright law is that streams actually do create copies of the work in order to act as a buffer so your stream remains uninterrupted.
The U. The line would be difficult to draw, both in theory and as a matter of proof in litigation. There is one type of unauthorized streaming that could get you into trouble: Peer-to-peer streaming services like BitTorrent Live.
Like torrents, these services rely on users to share the content. Hosting an unauthorized stream falls under the distribution portion of the Copyright Act, but the criminal penalties are limited to misdemeanors, as opposed to felonies for downloading. In the past, the government has attempted to make penalties for hosting illegal streams more commensurate with downloading.
The bill faced significant backlash from the public, most notably from streamers on YouTube. Ultimately, that outcry was enough; the bill was never even voted on. Today, hosting an unauthorized stream remains a misdemeanor in the U. They tend to be against large-scale, commercial piracy operations. For many people, computer viruses from less-than-reputable streaming sites are as strong a deterrent as legal action. According to a report by the non-profit Digital Citizens Alliance, about one-third of illegal streaming sites exposed users to malware.
Following best practices for internet safety can go a long way in protecting you from malware, but using illegal streaming sites will always present a significant risk. Where it becomes a crime is if you download the movie or show, or host a stream yourself. People have to have their own moral compass about the kind of conduct in which they engage when it comes to copyrighted works.
Joe oversees all things broadband for Allconnect. His work has been referenced by Yahoo!
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