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Saturday, June 5, 2010

Say No To Using Illegal Movie Downloads

By Anthony Ford

Technological advances in recent years have seen an increase in the number of home computers in use and hooked up to high-speed internet. These figures correlate to an increase in the download of illegal copies of films. Often people are not even aware that their downloads are in fact illegal, and it is usually the case that people simply do not know what kind of effect their actions are having. It is important, however, to look at this issue and see how industries and individuals are being affected by unlawful movie downloads.

What is illegal downloading?

The laws regarding copyright and downloads are different in every country. Here we will look at a rough guide that should help you to determine if you are downloading legally or illegally.

If you download a movie that is still playing in cinemas, or maybe has not even come out in cinemas yet, you can guarantee that the version you have downloaded is an illegal copy. Movies are usually released to DVD about three months after the film screens in theaters. Anything that is released to the public before that three month period has been obtained without permission.

One of the most common ways of downloading movies is through file-sharing services. Generally, if an individual provides copyrighted materials to another individual without appropriate permission, that individual is engaging in an illegal activity. In many countries, those people who download this copyrighted material are also deemed to be participating in an illegal activity. Peer-to-peer downloads, such as those obtained through BitTorrents, are usually an unlawful way to obtain movies.

The impact of downloading illegal versions of films

By downloading material illegally, you are robbing the owners of the movie of their profit. If you think about this in the context of millionaire movie producers and actors, you may not have much empathy for the situation. But the effect is more far-reaching than that. Cinemas and DVD retailers rely on the sales of movie tickets and DVD copies to survive. If you download a movie instead of hiring it from your local video store, then that video store is missing out on profit. If the problem continues to increase, then movie theaters and video stores, especially small businesses, may lose business and have to shut down.

The problem is especially great in Australia. Figures suggest that some hundreds of millions of dollars are lost each year in an already-struggling film industry, because of illegal downloads. This limits the capacity for Australian film-makers to produce more films in the future. Australian film is a breeding ground for creativity, ingenuity and expression of Australian identity, and should be supported as much as possible.

Can you be prosecuted for illegal downloading?

As countries have different laws, this will vary. In many countries, such as Australia and the US, being in possession of illegally distributed copyrighted material can incur a fine of thousands, and sometimes millions, of dollars. Check the warnings on legal versions of films to find out what punishments exist in your country or region.

Illegal movie downloads are a huge problem, affecting many people across the globe. This ranges from movie producers to cinema outlets and DVD retailers. It can also affect you, if you are caught and fined. There are enough legal alternatives out there that there is no excuse for illegal downloading of films, so do the right thing and support film industries across the world with legal downloads.

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