Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Using Illegal Movie Downloads Is Just Not Smart

By Ramon Mckee

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.

Definition of 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.

Sometimes movie pirates are able to make movies available before download before they have finished playing cinemas, and sometimes before they have even been released in theaters. These copies are always illegal. You will find that legal DVD versions are generally released three months after they have played in cinemas. Where something has been made available before that time, it is guaranteed to have been obtained without the appropriate permissions.

Many sites offer file-sharing that allows you to download movies. Where individuals provide copyrighted material to other individuals without having permission to do so, these people are performing an illegal activity. In many countries, people who download such material are also in violation of the law. So peer-to-peer downloads, such as BitTorrents, are generally not a lawful way of obtaining 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.

Australian film in particular suffers from this issue. The industry, which is already struggling, is said to lose several hundred million dollars each year because of illegal downloading of films. Australian film makers are greatly limited in their ability to produce more films, by this financial loss. They need viewer support so that they can continue to produce quality films that express Australian culture and identity, creativity and ingenuity.

Is illegal downloading a punishable offense?

The answer is yes, downloading illegal or copyrighted material is a punishable offense in a number of countries such as the United States and Australia. In countries where downloading is illegal, individuals can be prosecuted. These people may be fined thousands, even millions, of dollars. Warnings on legal copies of movies will say what the punishments are for such offenses in your country or region.

As you can see, illegal movie downloads are a big problem. They affect people all over the world, from producers to cinemas and DVD retailers. And if you get caught and fined, then it will definitely affect you. With plenty of legal alternatives, there really is no excuse. So do the right thing, and support the global film industry through legal downloads. - 40727

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