Community Newsletter: Q&A: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use?
- 3/23/07 12:14 PM
Limewire
by drdroad - 3/9/07 7:03 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've been using limewire on my Macs for years, no problems. By far the best such program i've ever used. i don't download near as much music these days, ever since itunes made buying music downloads so easy, and affordable. if a song isn't available on itunes, and i don't want the whole album, i might look for it on limewire.
hitachi hybrid
by djps55 - 3/9/07 7:05 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
has anyone tried this product,it seems to have alot of problems,any helpful ideas?
hitachi hybrid 300a
Limewire/Peer to Peer filesharing
by nigelforge - 3/9/07 7:21 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Peer to Peer filesharing is a risk simply because there is no monitor on the people who use it or the files they choose to share. This means that there can be viruses and trojans hidden in other files that you think is a song or a video. My advice is to make sure that you have a good antivirus program and a a firewall. You can look both these items up on Google if you do not understand what they are and also to find out which ones are the best. There are many free antivirus/antispam/antiphishing programs out there (Avast.com to name but one)and a firewall can be either hardware (built in to a router if you have one) or software - in Windows XP for instance. You can check that your software firewall is on if you don't use a router by going to START/Control Panel /Windows Firewall. That way at least you are protected to some degree although this may not catch all the problems. You see, when you share a file on a peer-to-peer you are opening ports (software access points) on your computer and this can allow the less-desirables to try and hack in to your machine. Avast makes these ports invisible to the outside world (stealth mode)so makes them somewhat safer. On a technical note, filesharing is certainly illegal in the US and they now pursue the larger user, not the fileshare company as it is not easy to prove intent of the fileshare company. In Canada I do not believe that there is any legislation yet.
LImewire Do,s and Don`ts !
by beck2512 - 3/9/07 7:22 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use limewire for some music,however please be advised Illegal downloads are not allowed..When you first run Limewire it will say to you,Are you using Limewire for Illegal Downloads! if you say yes,it will not allow you to get that program! Please remember if it,s agains`t the law,don't do it !I do have some music downloades from there,But You have to make sure you have a great Virus checker,to scan for any nasties,Like Trogan Horses,Etc.... I scan everything when I get any new program,you should do the same thing... Better to be safe then sorry later !
Beck2512
Limewire, The legality of it, etc.
by chololo33 - 3/9/07 7:27 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Limewire was something I used to use for a while, and I thought it was great. Why? well, because it's Free, but what I didn't know was that it was illegal, until I found out. I had been using it for about 2 years, until I got my new Mp3 Player, My Creative Zen Vision: M. I loved using urge, a subscription service out of many, including Napster, Yahoo and Rhapsody. It's 100% legal, and it's cheap if you have a huge music collection like me (if you consider 4,000 songs huge). If you have a playsforshire device, you can use one of those services, and there are a few others out there. If you have an Ipod or a Zune, you have a few other options, like Itunes music store or Zune Marketplace. Now, I sold my Creative Zen Vision: M and got a Zune. what makes zune so awesome for music services is that there is also a subscription service, but you can only use Zune Marketplace for your subscription, because the zune doesn't support Playsforshure. But if your music collection is only about 200 songs, it may be worth it to buy instead of subscribe. Then, theres the Ipod, and if you have an ipod, you won't have many choices other than Itunes, which is expensive for a large music collection. If you don't have an Mp3 player, and you just listen to music at your computer, then you can pay only $10 a month for urge or a few other subscription services for home listening, and it's $15 for home and mobile device listening. Limewire isn't very good, because it doesn't even have half of the content you would find on these other services, the metadata (like the song names, the album art, etc.) is ussually messed up, and it's not legal for signed artists and hurts the bands and artists you like to listen to. And, since it's illegal, there is a huge risk, because if the RIAA catches you, you can be sued/fined for huge amounts of money, like hundreds of thousands of dollars! These are the reasons I wouldn't reccomend limewire. Limewire, the program itself, is not illegal, so you can download the program, but you can not use it to download copywrited content for free, because that's where it becomes illegal. The only problem with these alternate, legal music sources, is that the ones here all have DRM. DRM is something hated by many customers of these legal sources, because it means you have some restrictions on this music you have legally bought. These restricitions may include not being able to copy the music to more than a certain number of mobile devices, not being able to burn them to cd or burn them to cd for a certain amount of times, or not being able to play the music in other music programs, like winamp or a few others out there. Then of course, if you don't want to go through all of this fuss for music, and you don't have a very large music collection, then you're best option would be to buy cd's, rip them to your computer and if you have a mobile device, transfer them to there. This is better in some ways, especially since CD's don't have DRM, a problem for users with Mp3 players that only play MP3's, which means they have to resort to CD's, Limwire, or a service that's legal and has no DRM, like emusic. Hope I answered your question!
P2P safety
by LyteWing - 3/9/07 7:37 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Brandy,
At it's heart LimeWire and other similar services are general file sharing services. You *can* find music and even movies there but you are smart enough to question this due to legal considerations and computer security, and rightly so.
First lets talk about the legal situation. As a general rule, if you can download songs or movies that are from commercial sources (in other words that are sold in stores) and you do not have to pay for them then it is probably illegal. We have all heard the stories of the RIAA and the MPAA tracking users of these "Peer2Peer" sharing services down and bringing legal action against them. And while they are not quite as "sue happy" as they once were, it could still happen to you. There are many legal sites to download music from for a small fee. You can choose from Apple's iTunes Store, Microsoft's Urge, and even Napster to name a few.
Now as to the other concern you mentioned, security. This is a very important matter with all P2P services and is certainly not confined just to LimeWire. There are many people on these services that will post files that contain various forms of malware (viruses, spyware, etc). People download files expecting to get something they want and instead infect themselves and further spread the electronic nastiness like wildfire. I always tell people to never accept a file from a source they do not trust, and on a P2P network with millions of people the chances are fairly slim you can say that you trust them all. The best advice I can give you if you still want to use these services is to have a good firewall and virus scanner combo and keep them up to date! And be sure to have yet another layer of protection by using spyware protection, I personally do scans at least once a month with both Spybot and AdAware.
I hope that this helps you. Just remember, if something is too good to be true it probably is....this applies to more in life than just free music. 
Should someone check ou Limewire - is it legal?
by Ann G. - 3/9/07 7:39 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Do NOT use Limewire - it is fraught with viruses - I know first-hand! Second, a woman in FLA. got a summons in the mail for downloading songs from Limewire- what a shock for her!
My I.P. told me, if you're going to pirate music - be safe and download BitTorrent.
There you have it - from a profssional!
And make sure you have a good antivirus, etc. program, for ALL downloads!
Happy listening,
Annie
Limewire is completely legal...
by Justin0077 - 3/9/07 7:39 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Limewire, the program itself, is completely legal, it's what you do with it that can be illegal. Many bands and small music labels use file sharing networks (like what Limewire uses) to spread their music to the world and it is completely legal to download their music. On the other hand much of the copyrighted music from major music labels is also available for download on file sharing networks, but it is technically illegal to download that copyrighted content. As for the program itself, Limewire seems to be one of the best (free) file sharing programs out there as it doesn't (in my experience) install spyware and/or stupid programs to your computer that just wast memory and processing power. So Limewire will work for downloading music but it's technically not legal, so if you want to download music legally you might want to think about becoming a member to a music download service (Napster, Urge, eMusic, Walmart Music Downloads). For example Napster costs $10 per month for unlimited music downloads to your pc, and for an extra $5 a month you get the option to transfer that music to an MP3 player. It's completely up to you. Some day DRM will become part of the past but until then it's either download illegally or pay for it... Good Luck in your music finding adventure... Justin.
Hiccups
by RSantiagojr - 3/9/07 7:50 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Limewire has a tendency to clash with SPYBOT and create problems like lockup. It happened to my son and his laptop would not boot up. A friend told him about her experience and she had to go to COMPUSA to get the computer in operating order. We were able to solve the problem.
Limewire Woes
by pancakegenocide - 3/9/07 7:51 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The answer to your question, technically, is Yes, LimeWire IS illegal filesharing. It is a Gnutella network, meaning it runs through everyone's computers rather than one central server, so it it virtually impossible for the government to shut it down or track who is downloading what. Just don't put your files up to be shared. Before you download a file, newer versions of LimeWire will notify you if it cannot find a license for the file, and ask if you still want to download it. Sometimes it will find a license, sometimes it won't. Licensed files are legal, whereas unlicensed files are not.
As for the danger factor, there is danger in downloading anything from the web, even opening a picture in an email from a friend. I have personally never had a problem with viruses or worms getting through via LimeWire, but it is definitely something to look out for. You would want to run something like ZoneAlarm, plus your standard anti-virus software. I use Panda Titanium.
Really, whether or not you choose to use LimeWire or not is a question of morals. Do you have a problem taking something for free that you would normally have to pay for? Though the music is readily available, it is still, technically, stealing. You have to take into consideration how much damage you might be doing to a certain artist by not paying for their work. If you do have moral issues with it, then I would reccomend using iTunes or Rhapsody, which are both completely legal AND secure. The only downside is that you can't always find exactly what you want.
Is dangerous
by paulogloria - 3/9/07 8:02 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am not completelly aware about the legal issues concerning the P2P file-sharing of music through programs like Limewire. But I can tell you that through programs like that (such as Kaaza, Shareaza, etc) you are at the risk of getting malware, namely spyware, trojans, virus and so on. You must have a good firewall and anti-virus to protect yourself.
File sharing software
by ucphenom82 - 3/9/07 8:05 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Brandy,
First and foremost, file sharing software is not illegal in the strictest sense. A little legal history: In "the Betamax case" - Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. - the Supreme Court ruled that technology that allows copyright-infringing use is not illegal if the technology has significant non-infringing uses.* So rest assured you are not doing anything illegal by installing the software.
Unfortunately, however, file sharing (often called P2P) software is very often used for illegal purposes - the uploading and downloading of copyrighted material without permission. The only real "legally murky" area is downloading copyrighted materials that you already own. When you use software like Limewire, you use their built-in search to find files, so naturally you have to search for specific songs if you want to download music. Being only a casual listener myself, most of the music that I know and care to listen to is copyrighted. So I wouldn't know of any music that would be legal to download from file sharing software.
If that's enough to change your mind about obtaining P2P software, there are alternatives. You may want to look into sites like music.download.com, where (typically unsigned) artists share their work freely. Or you may want to look into downloading popular music legally through services like iTunes (pay per song) or Napster (pay per month). But if you feel you can use P2P software legally, read on.
Limewire is safe, although in the past it was supposedly distributed with adware or spyware. That is what was meant by "unsafe." Luckily though, Limewire was "GPL'd" which basically means the source code was made available to show that it is clear of viruses and other bad stuff. Limewire uses the Gnutella network, which is one of the largest file sharing networks out there. Another open source choice would be Ares, which uses its own network. It also uses BitTorrent, which is a completely different file sharing method that, without going into specifics, allows much faster downloading of large files. You might consult the P2P article on Wikipedia for more info on the different networks and software available. If you do decide to get any file-sharing software, I highly recommend it be open source.
I hope this helps,
- Luke
* You may note that in a more recent case, MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd., the Supreme Court ruled against Grokster, claiming they marketed the illegal aspect of the software, and ordered them to pay $50 million to the RIAA and MPAA. As a result, Limewire has also been targeted, and they've since countersued the RIAA. The battle is ongoing. Note that none of these cases will make the software itself illegal. It only confirms what we already knew - that the copyright infringement that goes on within these networks is illegal.
Don't!!
by jordo11 - 3/9/07 8:16 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If I were you I wouldn't use Limewire. I have also heard that Limewire is illegal and I used to use it and I got a bad virus. My personal favorite is Bearshare. But it is your choice
Limewire = Legal = Yes! Copyrighted music= Legal = No!
by GatorRock - 3/9/07 8:49 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The Limewire program is legal own and use, but only for specific purposes such as transfering data, programs, and media files that are meant to be shared. But as with any file sharing program it can be used for illegal downloading and sharing. This of course can and does mean sharing of harmful malware/spyware/viruses. When you were warned it can be unsafe it means for both your computer and youreslf- as you can be tracked by those who do not want their copyrighted material illegaled shared. Thus you can be fined. your best bet is to stick with legal dowload pay sites or even sign up for streaming sites that you can pick your music that you prefer to hear.
downloading songs
by lasvegas_big_pimps - 3/9/07 8:49 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Is there anywhere you can download songs that is LEGAL.
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