downloading free music
I believe that various laws were put in place to protect the artist that wishes to see royalties for their music that they have created. America has in place laws to protect the artist and have made it clear to the public. I agree with this decision due to that if I were the artist I would not want my work to be illegally downloaded and I would want my royalties. According to Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA): Title 17, United States Code, Sections 501 and 506 protects the music and if downloaded illegally may leave you civilly and criminally liable. This includes jail time as well as up to a $250,000 fine.
According to RIAA the No Electronic Theft law (NET Act) is similar to the copyright law. This law targets those that target digital recordings.
· Criminal penalties can run up to five years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines, even if you didn’t do it for monetary or financial or commercial gain.
· If you did expect something in return, even if it just involves swapping your files for someone else’s, as in MP3 trading, you can be sentenced to as much as five years in prison.
· Regardless of whether you expected to profit, you’re still liable in civil court for damages and lost profits of the copyright holder.
· Or the copyright holders can sue you for up to $150,000 in statutory damages for each of their copyrighted works that you illegally copy or distribute.
So we have looked at what is not ok, but let us look at what is ok. According to RIAA:
When It Comes to Copying Music, What’s Okay … And What’s Not:
Technology has made digital copying easier than ever. But just because advances in technology make it possible to copy music doesn’t mean it’s legal to do so. Here are tips on how to enjoy the music while respecting rights of others in the digital world. Stick with these, and you’ll be doing right by the people who created the music.
Internet Copying
· It’s okay to download music
According to RIAA the No Electronic Theft law (NET Act) is similar to the copyright law. This law targets those that target digital recordings.
· Criminal penalties can run up to five years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines, even if you didn’t do it for monetary or financial or commercial gain.
· If you did expect something in return, even if it just involves swapping your files for someone else’s, as in MP3 trading, you can be sentenced to as much as five years in prison.
· Regardless of whether you expected to profit, you’re still liable in civil court for damages and lost profits of the copyright holder.
· Or the copyright holders can sue you for up to $150,000 in statutory damages for each of their copyrighted works that you illegally copy or distribute.
So we have looked at what is not ok, but let us look at what is ok. According to RIAA:
When It Comes to Copying Music, What’s Okay … And What’s Not:
Technology has made digital copying easier than ever. But just because advances in technology make it possible to copy music doesn’t mean it’s legal to do so. Here are tips on how to enjoy the music while respecting rights of others in the digital world. Stick with these, and you’ll be doing right by the people who created the music.
Internet Copying
· It’s okay to download music