ANSWERS: 1
  • In general, most musical works are copyrighted, so sharing music without the artist's consent is illegal. However, in certain instances, people may legally share music.

    One License

    When a consumer buys a CD or other media that contain music, he is only purchasing a single license for that work, which almost never comes with the authority to distribute it.

    Considerations

    Music-sharing services are often used by up-and-coming artists who do not mind having people share their music without paying a royalty.

    Legal Statute

    People who share copyrighted music works are usually in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 2000. This explicitly prohibits sharing copyrighted music and even allows the music industry to pursue people who violate the law, such as monitoring peer-to-peer file sharing networks, then filing lawsuits on private citizens.

    Misconceptions

    Court rulings have determined that people are in violation of copyright law merely by having the means to share music, even if nobody downloads it or the person does not physically sit at the computer.

    Exceptions

    Other than artists who allow people to share their music, people may only legally distribute works in the public domain (works with an expired copyright). However, people should not assume they can share music for which they can't find the copyright notice.

    Source:

    Alfred University: Is it illegal to have copyrighted music, films or video files on my computer?

    TheLoquitur.com: Is it illegal to share music?

    California Polytechnic State University: DMCA (File Sharing and Copyright)

    More Information:

    BetaNews.com: Court Rules Sharing Music is Illegal, Even if Nobody Downloads It

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