Is downloading a song stealing?
Yes, it is stealing.
Side Score: 5
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No, it's not stealing.
Side Score: 6
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It all depends on the user's intent. Back when vinyl records and CDs were the only source of portable music, the government made it illegal to distribute copied music. However, it was perfectly legal to make your own copies of music as long as they were for your personal use only. Now, debates rage over whether sites such as listentoyoutube.com that convert music from online sites to MP3 are legal. Currently, however, the general consensus is that as long as you use the music for personal use only, it is legal. Side: No, it's not stealing.
No, it is true. However, there are current debates to whether the old laws still apply to the digital music industry. When the laws were first established, it was legal to pirate music for your own personal use because it was so hard that the government found it unnecessary to make it illegal. According to DMCA, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, it is illegal to DISTRIBUTE, SALE, MANUFACTURE copyrighted material. It does not state that having copyright material in your possession is illegal. People who use sites like Limewire, download music, movies, etc... The giver has now broken the law by sharing this materials with you. The reason you end up getting caught is because LIMEWIRE has a feature that enables your system to automatically share anything that have downloaded. This is where you break the law. Now you are a DISTRIBUTOR of copyrighted materials. Side: Yes, it is stealing.
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