File sharing legal or illegal

The advantage of this function is that the speed of the download is divided among the users during file sharing. It increases because large files are split into several parts. This procedure is unproblematic if the copyright of protected works is preserved during upload and download. Any other procedure is an infringement of copyright and inevitably leads to a warning. Another way to exchange data is through file sharing tools that host content.

These tools are web-based offerings. Users upload larger files and make them available to other users. To do this, they simply send a link to the content. The data can also be protected with a password against access by strangers. The difference between file hosting and file sharing is that in file hosting the upload and download are two strictly separate processes.

Storing self-created data in a cloud is completely legal. There is neither an infringement of copyright nor a risk for a warning. TeamDrive makes secure file hosting and legal file sharing possible. Content archived in the cloud can be easily synchronized between any number of computers and mobile devices. Access to the hosted files is no problem from any location. With TeamDrive, users create their own links for sharing.

Business partners or colleagues as recipients of the content themselves do not require an account or a login to TeamDrive for downloading. Thanks to end-to-end encryption , data exchange is absolutely secure. Is file sharing legal? It depends on what you are sharing and where you are laws vary from one country to another. With respect to Usenet, the short answer is that a lot of file sharing is legal, but probably most of it is not.

However, this is an important question, and a short answer isn't really good enough — after all, I want you to understand what you are doing — so let's take a few minutes and discuss the details. Whether or not file sharing is legal depends on who owns the content of the file and how they choose to exercise their ownership rights.

The most important concept involved is that of copyright, so let's start with that. That's a mouthful, so let's take it apart. Whenever anything is created and written down or recorded, a copyright comes into existence instantly and is vested automatically with the creator. For example, let's say you write a poem. The instant you express the poem in a tangible manner — say by writing it on a piece of paper or typing it into a computer file — you own the copyright.

Copyright protection holds for all manner of creations: books, stories, plays, music, novels, poetry, songs, TV shows, videos, software, architecture, maps, paintings, recordings, and so on.

Although it is possible to register a copyright — and under some circumstances it might be useful to do so — it is not required by law.

A copyright exists by the mere fact that a creation exists. And if you exploit someone else's creation without their permission, you are infringing upon their rights and breaking the law. This means that, in principle, it is illegal to share files containing someone else's writing, music, videos, software, and so on, without their permission.

Copyright laws vary from one country to another, so I will summarize the rules as they apply in the U. The rules in most other countries, however, are similar. In the United States, copyrights last a long time. Specifically, when a person creates something, the copyright lasts until 70 years after his or her death. After the person's death, the copyright is owned by his or her heirs. With a B. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a EasyTechJunkie writer.

Jessica Ellis. Please enter the following code:. Login: Forgot password? As UWM is a large school with many students living and working in the same place, there is a high probability that some form of illegal file sharing will happen using our WiFi network. All that and more can happen if you get caught illegally downloading or sharing copyrighted materials.