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
There ARE free "commercial" programs
by donp33 - 5/6/05 5:23 AM In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Not all may allow P2P sharing, but there *are* legal free programs from the big guys.. winamp and Netscape from AOL, Eudora, acrobat reader from Adobe, display programs for various Office formats from Microsoft, Java,. ...
Quite correct... in both cases.
by Jamie314 - 5/6/05 10:29 AM In reply to: There ARE free "commercial" programs by donp33Yes these products are free, but they are not licensed for that type of uncontrolled distribution on P2P networks.
As a general rule, anyone trying to download something like Acrobat Reader from a P2P client is absolutely bonkers, for a number of reasons:
: With big companies like Microsoft or Adobe, their webservers will operate much, much faster than any download you will find on P2P. I would even be inclined to say that other, smaller servers like Nullsoft's Winamp would still be considerably faster.
: You are more likely to get a full and uninterrupted download by using a central server (like Adobe's). You're download is not affected by host logging off, and the likelihood of server failure is seriously remote.
: When downloading direct from the supplier, you are guaranteed a correct and current version — not an old or potentially hacked version.
: When downloading direct from the supplier, you are also dramatically reducing the likelihood of obtaining a virus in that file.
: And most importantly, you are agreeing to that company's license agreement and obeying the law, instead of breaking it and unwittingly promoting the spread of potentially dangerous software.
So, unless the program is unavailable anywhere else and you are not afraid of breaking the law — don't download software (even open-source, legal to distribute stuff — it may be very different from the actual version) from P2P networks.
THere are precautions you can take
by donp33 - 5/7/05 6:09 AM In reply to: Quite correct... in both cases. by Jamie314The usual protection provided by the publisher against tampering, virus insertion, whatever, is some tipe of secure checksum or signature. You compute the signature of the p2p downloaded package against the one on the publisher's server. It is very difficult to change even 1 byte of the package without changing the signature, so that is your assurance that the content is original.
Note that Bittorent (a p2p system) for one does this automatically, though you certainly have to get the torrent file (package specification) from a trustworthy source. Yes, I HAVE gotten software this way from publishers who want to keep their bandwidth bill down.
Please don't project your ideas of what is universally illegal in this area. If a copyright holder allows it, then it is legal. Some do.
depends...
by goulsbra - 5/6/05 5:35 AM In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
what has been said here is probably correct in the u.s. of a. there are, surprisingly, still other countries, where things are different: in germany, e.g., it is completely illegal to UPload copyrighted material (software, movies, music...), but not to DOWNload it. the legal understanding being, that the person who makes the stuff available MAKES a copy (which is illegal) and the person who downloads it, only TAKES the copy (which is ok). so it's legal to download anything as long as the stuff downloaded is not illegal to possess in the first place (child porn, for example).
Pay-per download services
by rapidrickc - 5/6/05 6:09 AM In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Where can I find a Pay-per-download service that does not require a subscription fee? I only download a few songs per year and don't want to pay for something I'm not using.
Wal-Mart has such a service, but their selection is quite limited. I'm looking for semi-obscure 60's & 70's tunes.
It was true in the 80s and still true today
by Daniel Londonsvenskar - 5/6/05 6:15 AM In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Remember the days of yore, before internet? When you borrowed your friends vinyls or CDs and made copies on tapes? Same with games and videos as well, as long as you knew someone with two VCRs or a double tape player. I used to have 1,500 games on my Commodore 64 and Amiga, of which I had bought around 10. No big company gave any thought to this back then.
The same sharing policy can be applied today! Just share with your mates, and they have mates, who have other mates, and so on, and so on, ad infinitum.
All IM programs, including Skype and ICQ, have excellent filesharing abilities, creating vast networks available to you if you take the time to actually talk to the persons involved.
This is the safest (though not legally correct) way of sharing files. On ICQ you can even have a folder shared to your contacts from which they can download stuff from your harddrive.
So share with your friends, not strangers, and who knows, maybe your workmate's cousin's uncle in-law, has the same taste in music and movies and you will become great friends?
It was also true in the 90s and currently NOW
by dlstephenson - 5/6/05 7:17 AM In reply to: It was true in the 80s and still true today by Daniel LondonsvenskarAll that I can say is this person must work for the FBI.
You know it is true
by Daniel Londonsvenskar - 5/9/05 6:21 AM In reply to: It was also true in the 90s and currently NOW by dlstephensonMI6 actually, but don't tell anyone.
What About Limeware?
by Milo98 - 5/6/05 6:15 AM In reply to: 5/6/05 What's safe and legal to download using a file-sharing program? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Ok, so everybody agrees that most p2p download songs and software are illegal, and this Kazaa thing is trash. So far, I've heard no mention of Limeware. I stumbled across this a while back and have used it extensively. (Not all the time, but in bursts. I don't leave it on except while searching.) And so far, the worst problem I have had is songs mislabled because several artists did them, or someone thought a particular artist did the song.
While many replies have suggested getting free songs from sites that provide them as promotionals, or new artists looking for exposure, I have no interest whatsoever in any of the new stuff. My main interest is in the 50's and 60's, maybe some 70's. And there's not much of that available for free and legal. Someone mentioned that they didn't mind paying 99 cents to download a song. Well, if I downloaded 700 old songs, most of which are no longer available commercially, that would amount to $700. Interestingly enough though, I probably have as many mp3's ripped from CD's I personally own, as from downloads. I download the stuff I can't find anywhere else. It fills the gap.
As far as looking over your shoulder for the FBI, we might as well get used to it, as much as we may despise it. For example, the government is right now trying to make vitamins illegal. It's no joke. Who knows where it will end?
Anyway, if you want to download stuff, try Limeware. I've never gotten a virus or spyware from it, and 98-99% of songs are good. Oh, and Limeware DOES claim that their downloads are legal. Whether it would hold up or not, I don't know. But they have a big long page explaining why it's (supposed to be) legal.
Limeware
by omoya - 5/6/05 6:25 AM In reply to: What About Limeware? by Milo98I use it, too, and so far, so good. Dunno what the legality is--and I shut down quickly, also, after a few downloads. But they claim they're legal, and if you pay for the "pro" version, it gets even faster. There's no spyware or popups, and "corrupt" files get caught before they reach you. I really love it, even though I have Rhapsody to turn to, if I want to pay!
Limewire & Limewire Pro
by KGarman - 5/6/05 10:08 AM In reply to: Limeware by omoyaAs far as the Pro version of Limewire, it is faster and no advertisements. I also found Limewire Pro program on Limewire. Isn't that a little ironic?
As far as viruses, wrong files, broken files, they do still exist on Limewire and Limewire Pro.
My advice to anyone using any P2P program, do not download .exe files at all. And definitly use a good updated anti-virus and spyware program.
60s and 70s for legal downloads
by mp3artists - 5/6/05 6:37 AM In reply to: What About Limeware? by Milo98ck out
http://www.synerdata.com/requests
for my program MP3Artists Radio.
The show is aired on more than one station..
and the idea behind it is finding the listeners great fre, legal, download music.
also ck bands websites and record labels.
There is a ton of free legal music out there from signed performers and bands.
you just have to know where to look and you have to do it promptly.
In mp3 land you have to "get it while you can", like Janis Joplin once sang.
there are sites that both sell and offer for free download some of this music......
one is
http://www.progarchives.com
<b> as for the main question of whether much of peer to peer is illegal to download.....?</b>
Technically speaking "downloading" music without the owner's permission is not illegal, posting or distributing the music without the copyright owner(s) permission, in many cases there are more than one, is explicitly illegal and has been for sometime, though it is pretty much spelled out that way in "DMCA of 1998" (The Digital Millenieum Copyright Act)
The winning answer has some right elements to it, but it pretty much is technically incorrect when it comes to peer to peer, which is not uncommon.
The best way to learn about copyright , is to research it yourself, and ck out:
http://www.loc.gov
http://electronicfrontier.org
http://www.ARL.org
and
http://www.downhillbattle.com
hope this info helps you !
Limewire is just another P2P network...
by Jamie314 - 5/6/05 10:35 AM In reply to: What About Limeware? by Milo98Please see my previous post:
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-10149-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=102069&messageID=1173704
It's wrong to get CD-quality music for free
by eric90230 - 5/7/05 12:18 PM In reply to: What About Limeware? by Milo98>> I have no interest whatsoever in any of the new stuff. My main interest is in the 50's and 60's, maybe some 70's. And there's not much of that available for free and legal. Someone mentioned that they didn't mind paying 99 cents to download a song. Well, if I downloaded 700 old songs, most of which are no longer available commercially, that would amount to $700. <<
It's one thing to download music. It's another to pretend it's ethical to download music. I've downloaded lots of music, often trying to make excuses such as "I already own the vinyl version" or "this is an obscure song I don't want buy a whole CD for" or "I don't really care about this song, I wouldn't pay for it if I couldn't get it for free." These are lame rationalizations, and it doesn't mean it's okay to get cd-quality recordings for free.
As to your saying most of your desired songs are "no longer available commercially," what makes you think so? Amazon.com has a huge library. Then there's Ebay. I doubt you've fully explored the concept of paying legitimately.
I've been a "sinner" in this regard, getting cd-quality music for free, but I'd never claim it was ethical.
CD Quality....Hardly.
by mp3artists - 5/8/05 7:17 PM In reply to: It's wrong to get CD-quality music for free by eric90230Music downloaded on a peer to peer is a far cry from CD quality. If you examine the actual waves that make up a CD and a typical MP3 you would understand why.
The best quality you get off peer to peer downloads is substandard even by FM Stereo standards. You are dealing with fidelity that would make someone go out and buy the CD just to get decent sound quality.
You are completely wrong about the sound quality of MP3s and that is easily scientifically proven.
I know I have to re engineer mp3s for airplay , DAILY, because of poor recording anf encoding.
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