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Many file-sharing networks and technologies are susceptible to use by those who share and acquire copyrighted material like movies, TV shows, and music. BitTorrent is no exception. Downloading some of the torrent files you find online is sometimes referred to as digital piracy. Whatever you call it, the bottom line is that you want to avoid copyright infringement.
Digital piracy exposes both the technology and the network to legal issues, hurting just about everyone:
- File-sharing developers, who are doing their best to advance technology
- Legitimate users of file-sharing technology, who aren't doing anything wrong
- Copyright owners, often artists and musicians, who just want to make a living doing what they love
To counteract this activity, more and more tracker sites are introducing monitoring filters to try to keep copyrighted material out of their listings. The situation is likely to get uglier before it gets better.
The BitTorrent situation is not a new one and should not surprise people using BitTorrent. In 1998, the United States presented a bill known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which detailed the rights and freedoms of copyright holders and consumers in the digital medium. The bill was signed into law. You can find out more about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act at one of these Web sites:
 | You should be careful about what you download, and what you share. The more content generated by the public and released using BitTorrent technology, the better chance BitTorrent has at continuing to be available. Legal usage will solidify this technology as being efficient and not the domain of those who wish to violate content copyright laws. |
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