Is downloading music from LimeWire legal?

No, downloading songs that cost money on other sites for free through LimeWire is illegal. It is the equivalent of stealing a product from someone trying to make their living by producing that song.

Imagine if you had put alot of effort into finishing a school project. You're really glad at how it turned out. You get to school, and it ends up that someone who just downloaded a very similar project gets a better grade. Wouldn't you be pissed off?

So no, LimeWire music is not legal. Completely illegal.

As an added note, even if you have legally purchased the song on iTunes or a CD with said song, downloading an "archival" copy off the internet as a backup is technically illegal too. This goes for all media content, including songs, films, and video game ROMs.

Downloading copyrighted information (for free) off any resource it is illegal. Although few people who download information from limewire get sent to prison, being caught can carry large fines. People who upload these files are in danger of being caught and imprisoned the most, but if you download files repeatidly off limewire you'll get noticed more and more. Eventually your Internet Service Provider may hand you details over to local law enforcement agencies or the Motion Pictures Asociation of America or other such companies may request your details via court to sue you. Also, if you bring your computer in for repairs and limewire is found you will be issued by law with an on the spot fine.

If you download a song that a new band posted for people to listen to, you are not doing anything illegal.

Under the current intellectual property laws in the US, if you make copyrighted material available in digital format, you violate the law. If you download unlicensed material you also violate the law.

Usually the music companies go after the ones who make copyrighted material available before they go after the downloaders.

You can get away with downloading protected material. You have to ask yourself if that's the right thing to do.

Yes it's illegal! Unless Limewire has a copyright to that song, which is unlikely. But in any case they warn you before you download that you might be downloading illegally and do you wish to continue. That way they cover thier *ss

Not legal. Not getting caught doesn't change the legality. I wouldn't trust anyone that tells you that you can't get caught. Downloads can be traced back to the IP address from which it originated.

Yes. See Title 17 of the U.S. Code, section 102 (this is the federal copyright law). (I presume you are writing from the U.S.)

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode17/u...

Here's an interesting article on the subject from a legal perspective.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/tfisher/Music.h...

And if you have any doubt, ask the woman who got tagged with a $222,000 judgment for downloading from Kazaa:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20071005/ca_pr_on_e...

Bottom line is, you're stealing, no matter how you slice it. Intellectual property (copyrights, as well as patents and trademarks) are things of value, and you can't take 'em and use 'em without permission. Pay for a copy of the music.

totally illegal, unless you own the CD.

example. I bought the killers CD, but my computer wouldnt let me play it on the computer or copy it to my computer.. so I went on Ares (another P2P sharing program) and downloaded it.

Its a little known fact that if you OWN a cd, you have the right to download those songs off the internet.. you paid for a version of them so you own the rights to have that song on your computer.

other than that, its illegal.

i use limewire and i think i might be illegal people r saying that now a days...................i think

absolutely not

i'm pretty sure it's not.....