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jeffhoard | January 07, 2009 08:01 PM | in Technology & Internet

Is it illegal to watch a movie from a website that his hosting movies illegally?

For example, if I went to http://www.watch-movies.net and simply watched a movie that I was linked too, would that be illegal?

Please provide sources

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BEST ANSWER chosen by asker | pastubbs | January 07, 2009 11:10 PM

There has been many cases that have proven that downloading content is not what they are actively enforcing but it is illegal. They are mainly focusing of the uploading on content as this is how people download the content. In theory if the stop all of the uploading then there will be no file to download or stream illegally.

In short answer it is illegal but not really pursued as much as uploading.

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

source(s):
http://www.copyright.gov/title17/
http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/

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rosshann | January 08, 2009 09:10 AM

personally I think that trying to prosecute people who simply watch movies is a waste of time, whether you rent the movie, buy, download it or stream it. At the place where I work there is a fan that shows up three times a week and it is loaded with ripped dvds, a guy walks around the neighborhood and sells them 4 for 10. To me, those are the people who should be prosecuted. But because it is on the street and in a plain unmarked van it is very difficult to track. It seems easier to strong arm an isp and "watch" what we do online,, it seems like attacking the problem from the wrong end, but it is a lot easier I guess.

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pastubbs | January 08, 2009 12:08 PM

I agree most pirated movie I see being watch where bought on the street from someone with a trunk load of DVDs it is a lot harder trying to find them but it is easier to prosecute them seeing as how they have evidence in hand.

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rosshann | January 07, 2009 08:28 PM

yes

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jeffhoard | January 07, 2009 08:45 PM

That isn't very helpful, do you have sources to back this up? That's really what I am looking for.

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rosshann | January 07, 2009 09:02 PM

The Federal Copyright Act (Title 17 of the U.S. Code) governs how copyrighted materials, such as movies, may be used. Neither the rental nor the purchase of a movie carries with it the right to show the movie publicly outside the home, unless the site where the movie is used is properly licensed for public exhibition.

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pmacdon1 | January 08, 2009 02:20 AM

I feel that it is important to point out that while streaming a movie from a video site may be illegal (and I don't know that even a lawyer could tell you for sure) NO ONE has EVER been prosecuted for STREAMING a movie from the internet onto their computer.
It could be compared to driving 1 mile an hour over the speed limit.
In fact it isn't really possible to prosecute someone for streaming a movie, the only way to get in to legal trouble is to upload movies to a website or through a P2P network.

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