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HomeTopicsMovie DownloadsLimitations And Laws
Movie Downloads: Limitations & LawsDownloading full-length movies from the Internet is becoming a common practice for even novice computer users. With today's faster Internet connections and new file compression technologies, acquiring movies via download is becoming as normal as taking a trip to the video store.
Keep in mind that downloading movies online is not always straightforward or legal. Some sites engage in risky business practices, enticing visitors with free downloads of illegally obtained movies. Before you start using a movie download service, make sure it's legit and that it follows the laws associated with movie downloading. Here's important information on the laws and limitations of movie downloads. Illegal Movie Downloads & Movie PiracyAccording to a recent study, 78 percent of Americans said they consider stealing a movie from a movie store to be a serious offense. However, only 40 percent of those surveyed thought that illegally downloading a movie from the Internet was a serious crime.
The truth is that illegally downloading movies from the Internet is a serious crime for which you can be punished. Generally, you are illegally downloading a movie if:
Interestingly, a site that offers movie downloads for free may not be doing anything illegal. When movies are in the public domain, they can be downloaded for free. Also, many small-budget, independent movies are often offered for free download. To ensure that you aren't doing anything illegal, however, you should research the movie download service before doing business with it.
Risks Associated with Illegal Movie DownloadsMovie piracy, or illegally downloading movies, can land you in jail and can cost you a lot of money. However, there are other reasons why you might not want to illegally download movies:
Legal Movie DownloadsLegitimately acquiring movies on the computer is becoming easier and easier and is relatively inexpensive. There are many reputable sites from which users can download reliable, legal files of both the newest releases and old classics.
On Apple's iTunes Web site, for example, users can download a new release for approximately $14.99. Older movies tend to cost $9.99 per film. When you download a movie from this site, you own it and can view it on either your computer or your iPod as many times as you like. Wal-Mart also offers legal movie downloads on its Web site. In general, you will pay less than $15 for new releases and less than $10 for older titles. In addition, Amazon offers legal movie downloads. However, users must have the Windows operating system on their computers to engage the service. For less than $15, users can purchase a full-rights file and store it both on computers and TiVo devices. Other legal movie download services include:
With so many companies offering quality legal movie downloads for a reasonable price, illegally downloading movies from the Internet is unnecessary and irresponsible, especially since it may cause you to be seriously prosecuted.
Movie Downloads for Free from the LibraryIf you're looking for free movie downloads, you might want to check out your local library. Many libraries are now offering movie downloads to their patrons. With your library card, you might be able to download out-of-copyright titles or other movies for a specified rental period. Once the rental period has expired, the movie is deleted from your hard drive.
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