Forums → The Tavern → Is Limewire illegal??

pretty much. It is piracy, which is illegal.

dang, so lots of people use it but its illegal. You'd think it would be taken off the internet so no one could use it.

-= holds hands up =- wasn't me!!! ok ok....you caught me green handed if i knew it was iligal i wouldn't use it as often i get music of there loads i know dont use it as much but still why pay £10 odd when you can get it for free??

I wish it wasn't, but i think it is.

Well i myself do not use limewire, but what i have heard about it is that there was some lawsuit against Limewire and the Limewire company won, so it must be legal in some way, and also i have heard that although you can download the song to the computer for free, you still cannot upload it onto an ipod or mp3 player without paying...

Well I never really understood Limewire. I know that it's illegal to just basically steal music for free, which is what Limewire lets you do, but the part that I don't get is why do they even let you download it if it's illegal?

steevo that's not true i have been able to get them for free for like 2 years and i haven't seen any bill's for the music that i downloaded

That is a question I do not know an answer for. I do know that it is illegal to sell free music without consulting the band/group. There is some sort of musicians protection law or something.

Okay, I'm not savvy on laws. LimeWire, is a software, which is completely legal. It's what's done on Limewire that isn't legal: downloading and sharing copyright material.

LimeWire's defense is that its software is a tool. Like any other tool, its use is dependent on the users. The same hammer that helps build a house can be used to break the back window and rob it. The person who sells the hammer can't be held responsible for how it's used.

In the lawsuit LimeWire was found not guilty, its users are still vulnerable, though. Since September 2003, RIAA has initiated lawsuits against more than 20,000 individuals for alleged illegal file-sharing. The accused individuals receive a letter from the RIAA's lawyers with a settlement offer to avoid going to court. The individuals are identified by their IP addresses. If the individual refuses to pay the settlement -- typically between $3,000 and $11,000 -- the RIAA threatens to sue them by name for a larger amount [source: Wiki].

So, a better question would be: Is Limewire even safe?

What!? They identify you by your IP address! Wow, I never knew that and a lot of people are in trouble because if they get caught that's a lot of money to pay, haha.

yea i love limewire it awesome

I know a girl it happened to. She had to pay 5,000. It is not a joke.

Turret, did you even read the title?

i guess taht is a good question little children could easly get acses and find alsorts on there and then find there computer has virus that can't be removed and where woul we be with out wikipidia

Haha, what a dummie. Also, I have used Limewire before, and now I'm freaking out! I hope I would never ever get caught!