Laws Against Downloading Music

Since the inception of Napster, illegal downloading has taken on a life both political and cultural, a lightning rod reshaping the way we consume music, the music is sold, and how we conceive of all the legal intricacies associated with copyright law. As widespread as illegal downloading may be--though it has been curbed, it remains rampant--there is still a fair amount of misinformation and confusion regarding the subject. In the spirit of education, we've tackled some frequently asked questions about illegal downloading. So read up. If you plan to download illegally, the least you can do is stay informed.

Are there penalties for illegal downloads? Chances are, you or someone you know downloads music or movies online. But just because

I remember how chuffed I was when I discovered I could use my Panasonic music centre to tape my mates' vinyl record collections. On just two C120s I recorded the Hawkwind back catalogue and still had space to tack on the best of X-ray Spex (1979 was a musically-confusing year). The music centre was the first mass-produced legal downloader and millions of us created vast vaults of tapes of our favourite bands. I don't remember any heavies from the record industry turning up on my doorstep to threaten me with prosecution for illegal taping. And I don't recall any sanctimonious hectoring about stealing from the mouths of starving artists. They don't make music centres any more. But they do send the men in black round if you try to avoid paying for your albums.