The Issues With Peer To Peer Sharing
Peer to peer file sharing (also referred as P2P) is one method of sharing game, music, movie and software files among computers. Since no one can really monitor the sharing process, legal and copyright issues are being faced by P2P file sharing. The issues on copyright is considered to be the most problematic for P2P file sharing networks, in fact, legal problems are increasing every year because more and more people are resorting to the use of P2P to share all kinds of media online.
Anybody who likes to watch movies, listen to music or read books usually encounters copyright issues. Copyright is not just confined to books—it can be applied to just about everything from tires to music to soles of the shoes. It is defined as a legal right of a publisher or creative individual to control the reproduction and use of their masterpieces of original works. Asking permission to use other people’s original work may or may not come with a cost. But sometimes, the owner grants one person the permission with some terms that must be adhered.
You are most likely breaking the copyright laws when you distribute, download or get music, movie or other files from musicians, authors and artists without their permission. Aside from this problem, P2P file sharing can also become a means to gather and distribute people’s information of other people and use it for pornography or as a form of other illegal files not suited for the public. Identity theft is also highly possible with file sharing because other people can have access to your personal information and use this to set-up a fake account using your name and all the other data about you.
When a person downloads an illegal file, he may not know that he have also downloaded illegal pornographic materials along with the other files. The person (who have downloaded the file) will just realize this when it shows up on the computer. This will become a legal issue when someone accuses you of something you did unintentionally. Of course, the downloaded material can be used as evidence against you.
To keep yourself safe from any legal and copyright issues surrounding P2P file sharing, always remember to be careful. Pay attention to the details of the copyrights of your files. You might want to gain copyright from the rightful owner or opt not to share the files to other people. Firewalls and other safety measures can also be applied in most P2P file sharing sites, so make sure to use these for your own sake.
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