Is this legal: How To Download Paris Hilton Video?

[jamessarri]

Hi,

Is it legal to put instructions on my webpage telling people how to download the paris hilton sex video - for free - using a file sharing program?

The instructions on my webpage will say something along these lines: download "so-and-so" file sharing program... type in "so-and-so"... and you'll get the paris hilton sex video for free.

Is it legal to put instructions like that on my webpage? Or can i be sued? I'm not actually hosting the video, i merely showing people how they can get it using a file sharing program.

Is this legal? Does anyone know? Thanks.

 

[seniorjudge]

Hi,

Is it legal to put instructions on my webpage telling people how to download the paris hilton sex video - for free - using a file sharing program?

The instructions on my webpage will say something along these lines: download "so-and-so" file sharing program... type in "so-and-so"... and you'll get the paris hilton sex video for free.

Is it legal to put instructions like that on my webpage? Or can i be sued? I'm not actually hosting the video, i merely showing people how they can get it using a file sharing program.

Is this legal? Does anyone know? Thanks.

Q: Is it legal to put instructions on my webpage telling people how to download the paris hilton sex video - for free - using a file sharing program?

A: This is stealing.

 

[jamessarri]

How?

How is it stealing? I am telling them where to get it for free - like thousands of other who are downloading it for free. My understanding is that the video doesn't belong to anyone. Who owns the rights to it? How is it stealing?

Thanks.

 

[divgradcurl]

Q: Is it legal to put instructions on my webpage telling people how to download the paris hilton sex video - for free - using a file sharing program?

A: This is stealing.

I disagree. There is no crime involved. Downloading a video without permission is copyright infringement, which can result in civil liability, but not criminal liability. As far as I know, there are no laws against "aiding and abetting a tort," so I don't see how posting info on how to get an illegal video would give rise to either civil or criminal liability.

Now, if it really were criminal to download said video, then providing instructions on how to do it could, potentially be criminal as well. And there have been cases (google "DeCSS") where linking directly to materials considered criminally illegal was found to be illegal. But there is no current caselaw that suggests that providing instructions on how to obtain infringing materials would itself be illegal.

Providing such information shouldn't result in any difficulties.

 

[seniorjudge]

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/iplaws.htm


FYI only....

 

[divgradcurl]

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/iplaws.htm


FYI only....

Copyright infringement only becomes criminal when it becomes piracy, which requires a certain number of illegal copies be made worth a minimum of many thousands of dollars. All other copyright infringement is civil.

There are also potential criminal penalties for bypassing copy protection schemes (hence the reason why I suggested looking at the DeCSS case above), but that is not what this post is about.