Community Newsletter: Q&A: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use?
- 3/23/07 12:14 PM
LIMEWIRE SUCKS AND IT IS NOT LEGAL TO USE
by VideoBozo - 3/9/07 9:04 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Limewire is just another peer to peer sharing program that allows you to find music, software, movies etc. and download them for free.
It would be ok if you were sharing things that were not copyrighted. Say like your home movies or pictures.
But when it comes to music,movies and software that someone else owns the rights to you are breaking the law if you download it without buying it. It is stealing.
I think the reference to "unsafe" is because a lot of the files have viruses in them or spyware.
When I first heard of Limewire I wanted to see what it was about. I downloaded 3 songs, two of them were corrupted. I dumped the program.
It is ultimately your choice to download or not. However, there have been some people caught by the authorities and were fined heavily.
Danger! Danger! Will Robinson!
by richchrono - 3/9/07 9:07 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Legality issues aside for a moment, in a peer to peer site like Limewire you never know who is posting content.
Computer techinicians that I know use the service but always upload to a "junk" system and test the upload there first b4 transfering to another system. This is because of the very real possibility you will be uploading a virus along with your content. Some of these are so nasty the only "cure" is to reformat your hard drive and reinstall all of your software and data (assuming you have it backed up). And, while this may improve performance on some systems, it's generally a time-consuming PIA.
If this risk is acceptable to you, go for it!
Limewire
by Eileen36 - 3/9/07 9:24 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been using Limewire for almost two years. I paid a membership fee of $12 a year. All of the music comes from other members computers. I have not heard that it is illegal since I have paid for it and it is coming from other members the same as it would be if I borrowed a cd from a friend. I might add that I have always been able to find anything I was searching for. The download time sometimes is long if there is only one server but most times it's downloaded from as many as six servers. I have no idea how that works but I have been extremely satisfied with the system.
Eileen
I hate to tell you....
by WakkoWarner - 3/9/07 9:53 AM In reply to: Limewire by Eileen36but that $12 a year fee is NOT a legal 'subscription' to anyting. It is simply to get the PRO verions of Limewire. What you are doing IS illegal - period. If you borrow a physical CD is ok, but downloading music that you don't own to your computer is illegal. You might want to think twice about doing it, as the RIAA is watching & you will end up getting sued by them.
"the same as it would be if I borrowed a cd from a friend"
by richchrono - 3/9/07 10:04 AM In reply to: Limewire by Eileen36Well, not exactly the same.
Borrowing your friend's CD is not illegal because it does not involve "reproduction" of the content.
Copying your friend's CD, or a song(s) off of it, is illegal, because your friend does not own the right to grant permission for reproduction or duplication of the content.
Since you are not "borrowing" the actual, physical CD from anyone on Limewire, you are, in fact, copying and reproducing the content, which in the US is illegal.
FYI
Not illegal, but...
by balls4all - 3/9/07 9:31 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
To use LimeWire by itself is not illegal, but to download music or any other copyrighted material is illegal unless it's posted by the copyright owner him/herself. So if you're just planning to download music from it, your use would be illegal. Also, it's possible that you're whole hard drive can be opened up so that anyone else using LimeWire. I don't know if this happens using LimeWire, but it happened to a friend of mine when he installed BearShare on his computer, which is very similar to LimeWire. Personally, I use BitTornado for Windows and Acquisition for Mac to download things like Linux distros, as they can often be between 500MB and 4.5GB, depending on if it's a CD image or a DVD image. But back to your question, peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing programs can be useful for large files, but downloading music from it is illegal unless the copyright owner posts it up there because they want people to download it. Another thing about LimeWire is that it sometimes comes bundled with adware to make it profitable to the people running the P2P networks, and will require you to either pay for the program or accept the advertisements that come up. I haven't had this problem with either of my programs yet, so I think I'm doing fairly good here. Hope that answers all your questions!
Answer Submission
by Acaykath - 3/9/07 9:34 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Whether it is illegal or not depends on the country you are living in. Assuming you are living in the United States, then it is illegal to download music for free, and it is possible that should record companies find out, you could be sued under the DMCA by the RIAA for copyright infringement.
The threat of a lawsuit is not the only reason that using a p2p network like limewire can be unsafe. There are malicious users out there who can, and will share viruses and other malware in the guise of desirable programs and files.
It is always best to purchase your music from a reputable vendor.
That's not entirely true......
by WakkoWarner - 3/9/07 10:03 AM In reply to: Answer Submission by AcaykathCopyrights are valid worldwide, so it is illegal to download music that has not been paid for, no matter where you live. Some countries don't enforce the law, but if the RIAA tracks illegal downloads to another country, they can & most likely will drag you into an international court.
Do not use Limewire under any circumstances!!!
by WakkoWarner - 3/9/07 9:50 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It has become a hot bed for virus & malware activity (some of my computer repair calls end up being due to the use of Limewire & similar software). It is also 100% illegal to download any music that you have not paid for - period. And to top it all off, the RIAA is finding more ways to monitor illegal music downloads, so you might end up in court being sued by the big boys. Don't do it!!
If it is to good to be true then don't do it
by K.Ramesh - 3/9/07 10:20 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
One thing to remember it that nothing that is legal is free. If all you have to do is download the software and pay nothing then it is illegal and the RIAA and Recording industry with go for you. I used to swapp music but as soon as I heard that the industry was getting the information about people from there ip companies then i thought it was about time to go legal. If the website says there is a 1 time fee then is illegal also. All legal music website will either charge you per month or per song or even both. As for myself and using Limewire it is Spyware ridden and sounds down your computer trasticly.
Honestly! I would just stick with the .88 cents per song at walmart.
Don't be one of those that I read about getting sue by the recording industry for 50,000 dollars for copyright infringment.
Limewire usage
by zzrpeek - 3/9/07 10:21 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have used Limewire P2P for some time with no problems. The downloads are as safe as any as long as all security measures are installed on your computer. Legality is a topic of discussion and has been for a couple of years. I believe I am sharing with a peer whether I am downloading, or available for, uploading to another peer. This in my opinion is not stealing and downloads will remain legal until Limewire and other P2Ps are no more.
The legality is no longer a topic of discussion...........
by WakkoWarner - 3/9/07 10:28 AM In reply to: Limewire usage by zzrpeekas sharing music over P2P networks (unless you personally hold the copyright) is illegal - period. Just because you view it as sharing does not make it legal. It is stealing & if you continue to do it, the RIAA just might latch onto one of your downloads & drag you into court. Not a risk that people should be taking.
But your opinion is not the law...
by David Eaton Productions - 3/10/07 11:35 PM In reply to: Limewire usage by zzrpeekHere is the difference...
If you are playing back a track that you purchased on your system, that is 'sharing'.
If you 'download' a song, it is not sharing, but making a 'copy' and international copyright law is what the courts depend on - no offence, but, not your opinion.
If you own the copyright, there is nothing wrong with sharing, copying or any other way you want to distribute your music. If you do not own the copyright, you are breaking the law. It is quite simple.
LIME WIRE : definitely possible to obtain viruses
by dionne08 - 3/9/07 10:30 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Brandy, I would reccommend that you not download from Limewire due to risk of obtaining viruses on your PC. Yes, the limewire world exist. However, I believe it is still illegal to download music or any software. Limewire even protects there company by asking this question before loading the program to your system. However,the reality is that sharing still goes on. My biggest concern is receiving a virus on your system. It's important to keep your PC as healthy as possible. Plus, you do not want to be a vius carrier that transmit to other PC's. Try Itunes. It's really easy to download music. And you do not have to own an IPOD. However, ipods are very nice. The songs are cheap. Plus you do not have to buy the entire album. Well, good luck on making your decision. My response was based soley on experience from limewire. Plus, I really value my system. I learned the hard way.
Using Limewire
by agnirat - 3/9/07 11:11 AM In reply to: Is peer-to-peer software such as LimeWire legal and safe to use? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been using Limewire Pro For about two years ,this is a pier to pier operation,so in fact you are only exchanging music with friends.I have found it a 100% safe and have had no trouble whatsoever.If you use the program do not switch off after you have downloaded what you want,somebody else may be downloading form your computer,so give them the time others have given you
John L
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