Community Newsletter: Q&A: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program?
- 5/12/05 2:39 PM
Do what you want!
by imacman - 5/7/05 11:46 AM In reply to: Additional advice from our members (section 1) by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I Have had LimeWire and BearShare. They both screwed me over. My computer has crashed 2 times because of downloading these programs. I do have to admit i got about 2000 songs from these programs and i was very happy but when my computer crashed i lost everything so i ended up wasting my time. My suggestion to you is but an old crappy computer hook it up to your high speed internet if you can then download limewire and get all of your songs then transfer those songs using a flash drive or someting to your main computer.
P2P is great if you dont mind it slowing your comp down 50% 
Additional advice from our members (section 2)
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 5/5/05 7:21 AM
In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
*** Additional advice from our members (Section 2)***
Answer:
To this user concerning Kazaa,
By all means, stay away from Kazaa. I cannot emphasize this strong enough.
Kazaa harbors many bad viruses that can render your computer uesless. I have done repair on many computers and the viruses from Kazaa write to your BIOS and render your drives useless. So you cannot format without getting access your CD drives or floppy drives. Maybe a new cpu board will get it fixed but that is serious work. Apple I-Tunes is a free downlaod and only $1 for every song. That is real cheap and legal and the quality of the sound is excellent. KEEP AWAY FROM KAZAA.
Submitted by: John H.
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Answer:
The bottom line, with Kazaa, is that if it's worth downloading, it's probably not legal. This is the case with most all songs, videos, and programs. Although there are a lot of freeware programs out there, you won't find many of them on Kazaa, because, since they're freeware, they can be found easily online. The good news is that almost all pictures on Kazaa and other P2P applications are safe and legal to download. You don't have to worry about getting viruses from videos, MP3's, or pictures when you download them, because viruses can't be encoded in them. For applications, just scan them with an antivirus program to be safe.
Submitted by: Jared F.
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Answer:
Hold the phone! You downloaded Kazaa your just one step into the computer infection hell stop downloading from kazaa and get limewire thats a nice peer-to-peer program that wont mess you up. If you want to keep it legal i think the best way would be to keep it to yourself and not share the files with others. To keep your computer clean dont download porn.
Sincerely,
Submitted by: Bryan S.
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Answer:
Check the amounts of bytes on each song look for the highest amount of bytes. But that never guarantees a full version. My best suggestion is another program, such as Lime Wire. I used Kazaa for over a year and the downloads are slow and sometimes a waste of time and storage space on your computer. I have had Lime Wire for a month and have not had any trouble at all with it, no error warnings, no strange software appearing on my drive that I didn’t down load. And most of all less virus problems.
I am a fan of rock from the “70’s” & Today’s Country, some times I would look forever and couldn’t find my favorites, but with Lime Wire, I have down loaded 2 cd’s of rock from the “70’s” I am an sold on Lime Wire!
Submitted by: Sheila B.
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Answer:
grecthen,
first all music is legal to download as long as you don't burn them to cds and try to sell them. and second Kazaa is a waste of time cause I work in computers and I see many problems caused by kazaa if you want some good peer to peer stuff I recommend you jet over to www.aresgalaxy.org and download the free ware peer to peer it comes with its on browser chat rooms the works and most important I been downloading from ares for almost 2 years and I have yet to download something that will crash my computer or harm it, I also suggest go to c-net downloads which is www.download.com and type in ares in the search bar and read users opinions about ares they are a lot of good things in the user opinions but what ever you decide is up to you but I recommend get rid of Kazaa
Submitted by: The charmer
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Answer:
Uninstall Kazaa immediately and never, ever install it again. The Arabs have a phrase to describe Kazoo, "wajid kaboos", which means "worst nightnmare".
Period. End of report.
Submitted by: Rick F
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Answer:
Gretchen -
It's already too late, you already have a system full of spyware and potential viruses. Kazaa is B-A-D news for computers and privacy. If you want legal music, do it the old fashioned way, go out and buy it. I can't begin to tell you the number of computers I spend time on cleaning up after someone installed Kazaa on it. Run, run away fast!!!
Submitted by: Brad S.
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Answer:
I am not a great user of Kaaza, but as far as my knowledge. It is no way possible for you to find out whether the file you downloading is a legal and doesnot contain Virus. But if you see any file that has a high cost in the Market then it is an Illegal download. coming to virus I think there is an option which says Scan the file after download and if you check this the file will be deleted as soon as any virus is detected.
Submitted by: Vishnu V.
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Answer:
Gretchen G.
First of all if you are going to have a p2p on your computer use limewire. It come with "no spyware or adware".
Second, if in doubt, check on the internet to see if they're selling the product. If it has $$$ signs on it's website, then yes, it is being stolen.
The music is not suppose to be downloaded either. You can use your judgement on that one.
If you are using it for anything like programs and you are worried about stealing the programs, music or whatever. Go to cnet downloads and get what you need. You will no if it is for sale or free.
Good luck
Submitted by: crazynalabama
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Answer:
Anything you download P2P is subject to copyright violations. That said, I'm 50 years old and use Kazaa and Limewire, which Limewire I like much better, to download music I've already paid for the artist royalties sometimes 3 or 4 times! I've bought the vinyl LP, then the 8-track, then the cassette tape, and finally, the CD which got scratched up.
With all files you download you should scan with your Anti-virus program before you open as a rule. Just right-click the file and select scan for virus's before you open the file.
Submitted by: Bobby C. of Oak Ridge,TN
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Answer:
The Kazaa solution is very simple if you download Kazaa Lite. Kazaa, all by itself, puts "content protected" songs in a separate folder which cannot be opened.
The artists have found another solution; of course, with help from the experts. They show dozens of downloadable songs, they can actually be downloaded, BUT THEY WILL NOT PLAY. I have no idea how this one is done.
Therefore, if you download Kazaa Lite (look for the download site in a Google search, the Lite version is also advertisement free), they will sort it out for you. It has been holding up for two years now, although it has been through the courts. But, the legislators were satisfied once the above protection was built into the program.
You still have thousands and thousands other songs to download (a lot would be more deserving of being protected than what Kazaa actually does protect in the folder "Music with "content protected."
Submitted by: Fred B.
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Answer:
I am a regular kazaa user and my advice to is to download Diet K, at www.dietk.com. This is a free program that attaches itself to kazaa and makes kazaa work so much better. It stops adware and spyware and you are able tocontrol the way kazaa works with this program. You may also use the kazaa without the dietk. But I have found that the dietk makes the kazaa work so much better.
But as with everything online you must be the judge and always have an anti everything program running lol.
Kazaa is a wonderful program and as long as you share while you are receiving I feel that it is okay and by the way yes I did purchase my kazaa.
Submitted by: Inez L.
P2P Downloading
by Silvertop - 5/6/05 4:46 AM In reply to: Additional advice from our members (section 2) by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
From all the posts I have read I have to surmise that the majority of p2p users are quite ignorant. The old saying "You can't get something for nothing" applies. Ninety nine point nine percent of files on p2p are illegal to download. Virus, trojans and more await you at these sites. Adware/spyware run amuk on the majority of the applications used to share the files. If you really want to download files (illegally) use torrents. At least there are applications out there that do not put malware on your system. Bit Comet, Bit Spirit and Azureus are a few that are freeware and safe. File sharing is here to stay so if you are going to share, do it right.
Alleged charmer
by eric90230 - 5/7/05 2:00 PM In reply to: Additional advice from our members (section 2) by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
>> all music is legal to download as long as you don't burn them to cds and try to sell them <<
Quesitons of legality aside, there’s no excuse for getting a permanent copy of cd-quality music for free.
If you want a CD, buy it. If you want a song, go to one of those $.99-per-download sites. If you don’t want to pay, then live without it.
KAZAA BAD! BIT TORRENT GOOD!
by marksg - 5/7/05 4:35 PM In reply to: Additional advice from our members (section 2) by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Get that crap off your machine NOW check out the Bit Torrent scene. Safe, Legal, High quality lossless audio in FLAC or SHN formats. Not Mp3 or aiff or aac and other junk. Bit torrents sites are fan based clubs that stick to non copyrighted material by artists that allow their music to be traded, Many artist do allow this (especially `70's classic and country rock artists) go to etree.org for some info and digital boots. org for some links to some great sites. I've been doing this for years w/ excellent results and no viruses or spyware/ adware issues. Neither myself or the vast majority of users would ever think about selling what we are so lucky to obtain and I would personally report anyone doing so to the proper authority. I do give my friends and aquaintances copies of things they desire (free) they usually give me a blank cd-r in return. These sites promote fan interaction and can be great places to meet other folks
mp3's and 32K/128K...?
by A. Freeman - 5/16/05 3:46 AM In reply to: Additional advice from our members (section 2) by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hey folks... I am having trouble playing the 32Kbps mp3's from Kazaa. The 128Kbps play fine, but that is rare on Kazaa. Any pointers? They seem to play, but no sound comes out of the speakers. 128K's play fine. I have tried Win Media Player and WINAMP. Thanks.
non-copyrighted music
by howardlatimer - 5/6/05 5:00 AM In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are a ton of downloadable "live concerts" available which are not copyrighted, for example, shows by the Dead and Phish, and many others.
You can check out nugs.net for streaming and downloading many concerts.
It IS ok to download music you already own in another format
by grandma mary - 5/6/05 5:04 AM In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have a large body of music on vinyl but have no time or intention of sitting through the process of ripping to my computer. It seemed to me that since I have already paid for the rights to use the music I should be able to obtain for free the same music in a new format.
I posed my choice to Randy Cohen, who writes the column "The Ethicist" for the New York Times Sunday Magazine. He wrote:
I'm not certain about the law here, and neither are the lawyers, apparently: technology has outpaced legal theory here. But as a matter of ethics, you may indeed download digital copies of music you've legitimately purchased on vinyl.
The law -- and ethics -- has long permitted us to duplicate legitimately purchased material for our own use -- a copy for the car, another for the office, that sort of thing. Your situation is analogous, suggests Siva Vaidhyanathan, an authority on the cultural implications of these new technologies and a professor in the Department of Culture and Communication at New York University. He e-mailed me, "Had this couple purchased The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers on CD (and done without the cool Warhol-designed working zipper on the cover), no one would object to converting those files to MP3s for use in an I-Pod."
I haven't taken the time to actually start the "conversion," but will feel comfortable doing so when the time comes.
Uh... no you cannot download something you already own.
by garyoa1 - 5/6/05 5:20 AM In reply to: It IS ok to download music you already own in another format by grandma maryThat's the whole point. If you are using PtP, you are sharing it. While you may have a legal copy you can't share it.
This is where most folks get confused. You really can't download it without sharing what you are downloading. As you download from the net, you are uploading (sharing) what you are bringing down. Someone else us downloading from you. That is what is illegal.
And as far as virus software... keep one thought in mind. Viruses are released almost constantly. Your virus software (anykind) may NOT protect you. First the virus has to be found by the virus software company, then they have to analyze it so that their software can eliminate it. Then they have to update your software.
This can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days or longer. Remember, it could float around the net for days before anyone discovers it. Just having an anti-virus running on your machine is NOT a failsafe.
Sharing
by armanth - 5/6/05 5:37 AM In reply to: Uh... no you cannot download something you already own. by garyoa1Most programs like kazaa and others allow you to turn off sharing where you can only download from people and not re-send the files back to anyone who looks for them. If you are converting to mp3 all your cd's and such, and I've done that when I have hard-drive space, then there is no problem with downloading that which you own. If you share files with others then yes, like it was mentioned you are breaking the law, or at least the interpretation of the law right now. I am also a musician and have my music broadcasting through some of the networks like that, mostly yahoo groups I belong to. I don't expect to get famous, or make any money off of them I just hope people get enjoyment from them. Anyway that's my two cents, if you don't have change, don't worry about it.
Download what you already own on vinyl...
by grandma mary - 5/6/05 6:22 AM In reply to: Uh... no you cannot download something you already own. by garyoa1Folks in my position, who don't want to steal, also don't want to facilitate theft, so we keep our files in a folder not accessed by the P2P networks.
Partially Incoreect
by mp3artists - 5/6/05 6:51 AM In reply to: Uh... no you cannot download something you already own. by garyoa1There are peer to peer clients that do not utilize this
method of multi point downloading and there are those that have that you can prevent such activiy, with settings on their software.
THE VIRUS warning is most correct, avoid downloading any kind of program or executable using peer to peer and scan every file with a good virus program like AVG, immediately after or during downloading.
Simultaneous Uploads and Downloads
by GregoryOrme - 5/6/05 3:25 PM In reply to: Uh... no you cannot download something you already own. by garyoa1"As you download from the net, you are uploading (sharing) what you are bringing down."
Wow, if only the rest of Windows was so efficient.
Not so fast......
by toafer - 5/6/05 3:41 PM In reply to: It IS ok to download music you already own in another format by grandma maryI read a lengthy article on the confusing laws regarding legal and illegal downloading/copying. First of all, just turning off the sharing portion of your P2P doesn't make it legal. Downloading is also illegal although the RIAA considers sharing a worse offense. Secondly, regarding copying vinyl to cds, that is illegal too. The copying laws only apply to copying to a cassette tape (analog). Any copying to a digital source such as your hard drive or CD is still against the copyright laws even if you have the original record or cassette in your legal possession. If you own a CD and rip it to your hard drive, basically you have just broken the law. I think that this is ridiculous but that's what the "official" copyright laws state.
It IS ok to download music you already own in another format
by eric90230 - 5/7/05 11:58 AM In reply to: It IS ok to download music you already own in another format by grandma maryAlmost, but not quite. When you download mp3's of music you already own vinyl of, you are still getting a much-higher quality recording, for free.
It's okay to make cassette copies of vinyl, and it's okay to make mp3's directly from your vinyl. That won't give you cd-quality music.
In the 1970's they passed a new law concerning audiotaping and videotaping, putting a fee/tax on blank tapes, and pooling those funds to compensate the original sellers of the music and the movies.
If you want cd-quality music, you should purchase it. No "free lunch." It's not okay to deprive the sellers of their profit.
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