Limewire?

[dt75006]

First off, I don't use Limewire, I use Frostwire. Yeah, they are virtually identical with the exception of some cosmetic differences, but that's just what I use.

Second, I use iTunes to search for new music and listen to the free sound clips to see if I want the song, then I switch over to Frostwire and download it from there.

Third, and most importantly, and I know there is confusion on this, downloading music from a bit torrent or a program such as Limewire/Frostwire is not illegal. Yes, you heard me right. It is not illegal.

Why?

Well let me explain it for you.

The recording industry cannot copyright "a piece" of a song, they have to copyright the song in it's entirety or not at all.

When you download from a torrent or Limewire/Frostwire, you are only downloading pieces of the song from many sources. You are not downloaing the entire song from one single source like Napster was doing. So if you snag a piece of a song from one source and another piece from another source and so on then you aren't downloading the entire song from one source and thus technically is not illegal.

Of course, the recording industry just like debt collectors are going to use practices they legally are not allowed to do in the hopes that you are the "uninformed consumer", hoping they can scare you or make you mad enough to call them back and then they got you by the nuts. Don't let them scare you. If they had any real legal course of action do you think Limewire/Frostwire and all the torrent sites would still be up and running right now?

So what about all the people who got warrants issues a couple years back for downloading music? In reality, nobody got arrested, nobody went to jail and the recording industry recovered a minisule fraction of what they were wanting to recover. It was a scare tactic in attempt to get people to stop. Nothing came of it.

 

[tidimus]

wow dt! You are seriously misinformed.

The reason Limewire/Frostwire and all the torrent sites (although Pirate Bay is gone ha.) are still around is because technically the software is not illegal. It is not illegal to use software to download something.

They aren't hosting any of the media, they are simply a tool. Here's an analogy, though rough it kind of lays it out:

If you buy a car and speed, hit someone and kill them with it you can't sue the people that sold you the car, or the automaker. What you did with the tool is what was illegal.

(in the US, I realize in Canada you are allowed to download a song but not upload it) Downloading part of a song that is copyrighted, without the proper licensing or permission is illegal (try asking Ellen's producers about that). You said it yourself they copyright THE WHOLE SONG, that means every part. Copyright isn't like a trademark where it has to be exact.