The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
Depends what's in the torrents.

No more so than downloading the same material from elsewhere though. If you have 0 upload. Which won't happen, so you'll probably get screwed over for distribution too in a court.

And why do you think genius? But do we really need to explain copyright laws to you?
Reply 2
If the material is distributed under conditions which are explicitly forbidden by copyright or other legal conditions, yes.

So, in the vast majority of cases, yes.

Material in the public domain or copyrighted material which permits free distribution (e.g. software under the GNU GPL for example) can be torrented legally.

As for why it is illegal, it should be obvious. Copyright infringement is illegal.

BitTorrent is just a protocol. It makes no difference as to whether or not you infringe copyright by using torrents or by using Rapidshare or by buying an unauthorised copy off the street or get a copy from a friend. BitTorrent in and of itself is not illegal, but it can be used for illegal purposes.

Somewhat like a kitchen knife. Kitchen knives aren't illegal. You can chop cucumber and carrots up for a salad with a kitchen knife and it's legal. Stabbing someone randomly with it or hold up a store, and it's illegal. In either case, it's not the kitchen knife that's illegal, it's the act of randomly stabbing someone or holding up a store.

Asking whether BitTorrent is illegal is really asking the wrong question. The question should be: 'Is copyright infringement illegal?' The answer is obvious—yes.
Reply 3
asking if "torrents" are legal is like asking if "CDs" are legal. they are both just mediums used to distribute information. downloading a torrent of a copyrighted music album is exactly analogous to taking a copied cd from a friend of that same album.
Reply 4
if i start downloading music which is copyrighted in my room, is possible that the authorities tracked it and come knocking at my door?

its actually i found a forum which shares lots of japanese series and hongkong movies in torrents. so im wondering whether its illegal to download it.

url removed
Reply 5
dankers
if i start downloading music which is copyrighted in my room, is possible that the authorities tracked it and come knocking at my door?

its actually i found a forum which shares lots of japanese series and hongkong movies in torrents. so im wondering whether its illegal to download it.
you gots to remove the link, coz thats against the forum rules

1.tho it is probably technically achievable to trace you down it's really a numbers game. you will not get caught
2. yes it is illegal because it's copyrighted material
Reply 6
dankers
if i start downloading music which is copyrighted in my room, is possible that the authorities tracked it and come knocking at my door?

its actually i found a forum which shares lots of japanese series and hongkong movies in torrents. so im wondering whether its illegal to download it.

This stuff is probably copyrighted so it is illegal.

Only organisations like RIAA or BPI have the cash to trace and push for convictions against downloaders, so if this stuff is made by some small hongkong outfit, you're safe (not that I condone this sort of thing, of course :wink:)

EDIT: Your isp or university can kick you off the internet if the suspect you, even if they have no proof. have fun :smile:
Reply 7
o-e-s-j
This stuff is probably copyrighted so it is illegal.

Only organisations like RIAA or BPI have the cash to trace and push for convictions against downloaders, so if this stuff is made by some small hongkong outfit, you're safe (not that I condone this sort of thing, of course :wink:)

EDIT: Your isp or university can kick you off the internet if the suspect you, even if they have no proof. have fun :smile:


but they do now.
Reply 8
Downloading Copyright material is illegal. Sending holiday photos to your friend via utorrent is not
Reply 9
No.

Many companies use torrents to transfer files e.g game installers (e.g free mmos) as they don't need to upload it to a server really.
Reply 10
Um guys, and do all the music tracks that are downloadable classify as copyright material?
Using torrent clients and peer-to-peer file sharing is not illegal in my country, that's why I'm asking.
Also there are sites you can download mp3 tracks from, are those illegal too? And is it easy to get caught using torrents and p2p?
Reply 11
Solya
Um guys, and do all the music tracks that are downloadable classify as copyright material?
Using torrent clients and peer-to-peer file sharing is not illegal in my country, that's why I'm asking.
Also there are sites you can download mp3 tracks from, are those illegal too? And is it easy to get caught using torrents and p2p?

Yes.
Torrent clients and P2P isn't illegal in the UK, downloading copyrighted material is illegal, however.
If you're paying for the track and getting it from a reputable store, then it's perfectly legal.
Reply 12
Mad Vlad
Yes.
Torrent clients and P2P isn't illegal in the UK, downloading copyrighted material is illegal, however.
If you're paying for the track and getting it from a reputable store, then it's perfectly legal.


And how to they track down copyrighted material?
Like say there's a song, someone remixes it at home and puts in his/her name on the tag, then is it still copyright?
I never pay for my music...I know it's bad but I don't have to.
Can they catch me if I'm downloading music with say Limewire in my uni room?
Reply 13
Solya
And how to they track down copyrighted material?
Like say there's a song, someone remixes it at home and puts in his/her name on the tag, then is it still copyright?
I never pay for my music...I know it's bad but I don't have to.
Can they catch me if I'm downloading music with say Limewire in my uni room?

Music companies make honeypots - they share the file and record the IP address of the person downloading it. They then find out which ISP the IP relates to, and request for disclosure of who the downloader is. They then launch a civil case against the downloader.

If you don't have permission from the original artist, you cannot use, modify, sample or cover a song - that's still breach of copyright. Changing the tag won't change the song.
Yes they can catch you in your uni room. In fact, the British Phonographic Association is the least of your worries if you're using P2P in a uni room. You'll be in breach of the uni network's terms and conditions, and in extreme cases, your continued education at the university will be reviewed.
DON'T EVEN TRY IT!
Reply 14
Solya
And how to they track down copyrighted material?
Like say there's a song, someone remixes it at home and puts in his/her name on the tag, then is it still copyright?

Yes, that's illegal.

Solya

I never pay for my music...I know it's bad but I don't have to.
Can they catch me if I'm downloading music with say Limewire in my uni room?

There are ways of tracking you. For example the file you are trying to download could be a fake version that they have put there to trap people. Once you start downloading it, they have your IP address which will identify who your ISP is, and then they can ask your ISP for your personal details. If you're using a uni internet connection then they'll ask the uni for your details. I doubt a uni would hand over that information, but it's quite likely they will cut off your internet access.
Reply 15
Psyk
Yes, that's illegal.


There are ways of tracking you. For example the file you are trying to download could be a fake version that they have put there to trap people. Once you start downloading it, they have your IP address which will identify who your ISP is, and then they can ask your ISP for your personal details. If you're using a uni internet connection then they'll ask the uni for your details. I doubt a uni would hand over that information, but it's quite likely they will cut off your internet access.

Quite the contrary. If the Uni won't hand it over, the uni get sued. They'll shop you straight away.
if you don't want to be traced then anyone trying to trace you will have one hell of a job in so doing.
Importantly if you're using a university network to get on the internet you will sometimes get in trouble for using peer-2-peer (including BitTorrent) whether legal or not. This is because the technology behind it generates a hell of a lot of traffic - basically your computer will be downloading tiny amounts of data from possibly a hundred or more other people's computers around the world, which can really clog up the equipment at the university which has the job of sorting through all the data and sending it to the right computer. Obviously it's the kind of thing which won't be a problem if just one person's doing it but could cause serious trouble if lots are doing it at the same time, so unis will often ban it outright.
Reply 18
If you are using torrents you are a NOOB anways!
Reply 19
Handsolo
If you are using torrents you are a NOOB anways!


not if I want to get the latest ubuntu distro, or project reality for BF2 (very large mod ~3GB). I'd much rather get a decent D/L rate of a torrent rather than wait for the upload rate of a single server.

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