It’s like MySpace forgetting to warn you that the majority of people who sign up for an account inevitably lie about their ages.Īnyway, let me show you how incredibly easy it is to find illegal content to download before you dismiss what I’m saying. Indicate that you “might” use it and your download fails with the error “Lime Wire LLC does not distribute LimeWire BASIC to people who intend to use it for purposes of copyright infringement.” Of course, try downloading the Limewire application from their site and you’ll find you have to answer a question that highlights that they are well aware of its most common use: If you have any questions, consult your attorney.” This is not intended to be legal counsel or advice. Lime Wire LLC does not encourage or condone the illegal copying of copyrighted material. Individuals who reproduce, distribute copies, receive copies, publicly perform or display works or inventions other than their own and without the consent of the owners or holders of rights, or their authorized agents, in original works of authorship or inventions, may be in violation of copyright, patent or other intellectual property infringement. “Copyright laws and laws pertaining to patents and inventions protect original works of authorship and inventions. Here’s how the Limewire folk respond to this question:

However, just as having a magnet that could influence the wheels in a slot machine could sway you to using it illegally, so having software like Limewire can influence and encourage you to receive downloads of audio and video content that is indeed illegally distributed. In a nutshell, Limewire and similar “peer to peer” or p2p file sharing tools ( BitTorrent is another popular tool) are perfectly legal and there’s no prohibition on distributing the applications or having them on your computer.

This is a very interesting question because it points to a subtlety of copyright law and also highlights how the enabling software for illegal infringement of copyright can itself be neutral, that is, used for either good or bad purposes.

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