Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Movie Downloads That Are Illegal Are Often Very Poor Quality

By Ramon Mckee

These days, technology is so advanced that it is more or less commonplace to see one or more home computers in the house, with a high-speed connection to the internet. This has helped illegal movie downloads to become an increasingly big problem. In many cases, people do not even realize that they are downloading material illegally, and most people have no clue as to the impact of these illegal activities. It is, however, an important topic for modern society to be aware of, as illegal downloads affect a huge number of industries and individuals.

What illegal downloading is

Every country has its own set of rules and regulations regarding copyrighted and downloaded materials. The following information should give you a rough idea of whether a download is legal or illegal.

If a movie is still playing in the cinemas, or perhaps has not even been released yet, you can be sure that any version you download will be an illegal copy. In most countries, movies are released to DVD three months after theater screenings. Any film that is publicly released via online means before that three month period is over has been obtained and distributed without permission.

There are a number of file-sharing sites available on the internet. If someone provides copyrighted material to someone else, without having permission to do so, they are acting in violation of the law. It is the case in many countries that those who download these materials are also committing an offense. In general, peer-to-peer downloads, like BitTorrents, are an unlawful way of obtaining films.

Impact of illegal downloading

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.

Australia's film industry is particularly vulnerable to the effects of movie piracy. The already-struggling industry is said to lose several hundred million dollars each year in potential revenue because people are downloading free versions of films instead of choosing legal, paid options. This means that the capacity of Australian film producers to make more films in the future is greatly limited. This is a shame, as Australian films provide a means to explore the uniqueness of Australian culture, as well as providing a medium for creative expression and ingenuity. As such, it ought to receive full support from movie viewers.

Can you be punished for illegally downloading movies?

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. - 40729

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