Legal and Free With MpFree
Have you ever stolen a CD from a store? Or perhaps a piece of clothing from the mall? Hopefully you have answered no to these questions, because for lack of a better phrase, stealing is just plain wrong. Now let me ask you this: Have you ever downloaded music from LimeWire, Kazza, Morpheus or any other free downloading program? Unfortunately many people have because they haven’t known any better. The problem is, not knowing isn’t an excuse anymore.
It is disturbing how many people are unaware that downloading and sharing music files on these programs is illegal, and even more bothersome is how many people just don’t care. When you download copyrighted music on these programs without the consent of the copyright holders you are stealing; you might as well go into target, stick multiple CD’s into your jacket and walk out. We all know that is totally unacceptable behavior, so why is it being tolerated and accepted by people all over the world? Just because the stealing is happening through a computer screen doesn’t mean it’s not a felony. You are still committing the same crime and there are still serious consequences for these actions.
I was curious if LimeWire, Kazaa, or Morpheus had any intention of lying to their customers to make it seem like sharing illegal files through their program is okay. I figured, so many people download these programs each day, that how could they continue to do so if they really knew the repercussions of their actions? But then, in fine print, at the bottom of the page I saw: “Using Morpheus™ or Morpheus Ultra™ for the uploading or downloading of copyrighted works without the permission or authorization of the copyright holders may be illegal and could subject you (or the ISP subscriber) to civil and/or criminal liability and penalties. For more information about U.S. copyright law, please visit http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/and http://www.copyright.gov/title17.” These programs warn you that sharing music is illegal, but do they really care if you do it or not? As long as they can make their actual application legal by writing a warning on the bottom of their website, they are off the hook. The creators of these programs aren’t going to get sued for allowing illegal file sharing to go on, you are.
Now, I don’t mean to sound naïve but if people aren’t sharing music on these programs what else are they doing? I’m not saying that all of these programs are illegal because they are not. And if you want to use them to maybe share an ebook with distribution rights, be my guest. But let’s get real here. People are downloading hundreds of illegal tunes on a daily basis, and even though they may not have been caught yet, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is constantly watching and waiting to catch another violator of these programs. The RIAA has even stated that under copyright law, violators could be held liable for up to $150,000 per violation.
Now just because downloading music from these programs is illegal, doesn’t mean you can’t find free and legal music in other places. Just visit MpFree.com and join thousands of members who have learned it is possible to download free music without breaking the law.
It is disturbing how many people are unaware that downloading and sharing music files on these programs is illegal, and even more bothersome is how many people just don’t care. When you download copyrighted music on these programs without the consent of the copyright holders you are stealing; you might as well go into target, stick multiple CD’s into your jacket and walk out. We all know that is totally unacceptable behavior, so why is it being tolerated and accepted by people all over the world? Just because the stealing is happening through a computer screen doesn’t mean it’s not a felony. You are still committing the same crime and there are still serious consequences for these actions.
I was curious if LimeWire, Kazaa, or Morpheus had any intention of lying to their customers to make it seem like sharing illegal files through their program is okay. I figured, so many people download these programs each day, that how could they continue to do so if they really knew the repercussions of their actions? But then, in fine print, at the bottom of the page I saw: “Using Morpheus™ or Morpheus Ultra™ for the uploading or downloading of copyrighted works without the permission or authorization of the copyright holders may be illegal and could subject you (or the ISP subscriber) to civil and/or criminal liability and penalties. For more information about U.S. copyright law, please visit http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/and http://www.copyright.gov/title17.” These programs warn you that sharing music is illegal, but do they really care if you do it or not? As long as they can make their actual application legal by writing a warning on the bottom of their website, they are off the hook. The creators of these programs aren’t going to get sued for allowing illegal file sharing to go on, you are.
Now, I don’t mean to sound naïve but if people aren’t sharing music on these programs what else are they doing? I’m not saying that all of these programs are illegal because they are not. And if you want to use them to maybe share an ebook with distribution rights, be my guest. But let’s get real here. People are downloading hundreds of illegal tunes on a daily basis, and even though they may not have been caught yet, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is constantly watching and waiting to catch another violator of these programs. The RIAA has even stated that under copyright law, violators could be held liable for up to $150,000 per violation.
Now just because downloading music from these programs is illegal, doesn’t mean you can’t find free and legal music in other places. Just visit MpFree.com and join thousands of members who have learned it is possible to download free music without breaking the law.
