History on illigal downloading

So that is at least million potential customers who are not paying for a lot of the music they are listening to. Downloading music for free is illegal and the current punishments are not doing enough to stop all of the downloaders. On June 31st the worlds first way for people to share music for free over the internet.

Premium File sharing , Peer-to-peer Words 6 Pages. Essay on Illegal Downloading Record companies today believe that downloading music for free is a crime and hinders the sale of music in stores. Premium File sharing , Peer-to-peer Words 5 Pages. Along with the increase of sales has brought forth an ever increasing problem of illegal media being downloaded. Downloading song files from the Internet over a free peer to peer network is the moral equivalent of shoplifting.

Premium Peer-to-peer , File sharing Words 3 Pages. In most cases, when a private group initiates civil charges against an offender, they offer them the opportunity to pay a settlement and conclude the case outside of court. However, if the judges get involved, they may charge defendants with a felony or other criminal offenses.

Moreover, courts will assess the punishments and fines for illegal downloading acts. They break them down as follows:. Illegal downloading laws and sentences will depend on why you downloaded copyrighted files and how often you did so. If you did it for personal reasons i. However, violators are still breaking illegal downloading laws. In this case, the copyright holder may file civil, rather than criminal, charges.

The federal government rarely prosecutes individuals who consume pirated content on a personal level. If they do, is piracy a felony in this case? The the courts may slap offenders with a misdemeanor, but not a felony. Those who distribute or share the content, on the other hand, are committing felonies. For example, if you download songs illegally or make pirated copies of videos to send them to a friend or family member, the legal system will consider that a distribution. Instead, they target those who sell copyrighted content or make it available en-masse.

Yet even if you stream movies or download songs illegally to share them with friends, you are guilty of a felony. Above all else, when a private group, such as the RIAA, files civil charges against you, a court may add criminal violations and felony convictions to it.

However, those who make money from copyright infringement face harsher penalties than those who distribute it without the intention of making a profit. Because of this, the severity of a violation depends on how many records were used. For example, someone downloads ten songs and shares them with three of their friends via email.

Courts will treat violators who previously broke illegal downloading laws more unfavorably than first-time offenders, even more so if they make a profit. More specifically, the new rule punishes thieves with misdemeanors. The Michigan law also levies felony charges for repeat offenders and sentences them to up to five years in prison or jail.

In Massachusetts , illegal downloading laws depend on how many files you install. Others, meanwhile, may have stricter or lighter punishments that apply to specific acts, as is the case in Michigan. Is piracy a felony under state laws? That has a lot to do with where you live, especially if the state government is also filing charges against you. Because of this, felons must consult with an attorney who thoroughly understands local and federal piracy laws.

Your defense depends on whether you are currently facing charges or if you are a currently housed inmate. Finding evidence in a piracy case is even more challenging. More specifically, prosecutors must show that you downloaded the content and provide evidence that tracks the action back to your IP address or account.

To add to that, they must do so without illegally obtaining information about you. Under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, accusers must obtain a warrant from a judge. In reality, Federal Prison can be a safe and productive space for an inmate. The Federal Bureau of Prisons recognizes the safety concerns of inmates convicted of sexual related offenses and will work with institutional assignment, unit management, Psychology Treatment Programs, and re-entry planning to promote the well-being of sex offenders while incarcerated.

This helps both the offenders and society by reducing the likelihood of re-offend after release. Upon arriving at a Federal Prison Facility, all factors will be considered regarding safety and placement. Many times, inmates can request to be segregated to reduce security concerns for both the inmate and prison staff. During sentencing, it is important for your attorney to raise safety concerns and request specific programs to make the prison experience safer and more productive.

What programs are available to me if I am in Federal Prison? There are two designated programs for sex offenders who are sentenced to federal prison, The Residential and Non-Residential Sex Offender Treatment Program. These programs are offered at specific facilities that house a larger population of inmates convicted of sex-related offenses.

These programs allow for inmates to be housed together in a lower security setting and work with counselors to reduce the risk of future offending. The severity of the offense and designation by the sentencing judge can determine whether or not an inmate will be placed in a residential or non-residential program. The residential program involves high intensity programming for a period of 12 to 18 months and is designed or inmates with a higher risk of re-offending.

The Non-residential Sex Offender Treatment Program consists of outpatient groups meeting times a week for several hours and is typically completed within months. Participants learn basic skills and concepts to help them understand their past offenses and to reduce risk of future offending.

This treatment is offered to offenders evaluated to have low to moderate risk of reoffending. The main benefit to being placed into one of these programs is the safety and security for the inmate. Being placed in a facility that houses sex-offender inmates greatly reduces security and safety concerns for staff and inmates. In short, the best way to get into a rehabilitation program or a minimal security prison is through your attorney.

When you enter into a plea agreement with the Federal Government you are immediately interviewed by the United States Probation Office.

This interview is used not only for the punishment that a Defendant will received, but also to determine any specific sentencing conditions or requirements. This information is formalized into a Pre-Sentencing Investigation Report. The Officer preparing this report will provide a copy to your attorney so that the attorney has a chance to object, request corrections, or made additional requests before sentencing.

During sentencing, your attorney will be able to voice these concerns and objections to the judge, as well as request specific sentencing instructions to be noted by the court. These instructions can include requests for placement at specific prisons, as well as participation requests for certain programs. If the judge takes judicial note of these request, they are forwarded to The Designation and Sentence Computation Center where placement is determined.

The FBI had been monitoring his downloads after having subpoenaed his Internet Service Provider to provide his personal information after tracking several downloads to his specific IP address.

After the forensic analysis was completed on his electronics, it was determined that he was in possession of more than , images and videos containing child pornography. We were immediately able to get to work analyzing the search warrants and evidence the government had against our client. What began as an illegal activity just over a decade ago has become the most popular way to purchase recorded music.

Since the introduction of the MP3 file format, downloading has displaced CDs--introduced in the s--as the favored means of purchasing and collecting music. Downloading music began as peer-to-peer, or p2p, sharing, which allowed different people to trade music files among themselves, ignoring the legal rights that recording artists retain to the music they create.

Napster was the first p2p network devoted to sharing music files.