If you ever download a movie or TV show from a torrent website (in other words, illegally), no matter what the ISP, your services are likely to get blocked and you might as well have to bear a penalty. So, let’s say you are using Cox service, know that your Internet service will instantly be blocked or you may experience throttling. In other words, you can get in legal trouble if you get caught. To stay out of trouble, here’s what you need to know about internet piracy.
Introduction
Piracy is the reproduction and distribution of copyright content which includes movies, music, and game, without the owner’s permission. And when you get caught, prepare to pay a fine. Internet piracy basically endorses the idea that digital content is not free. There is no incentive to produce new content if there is no means to recover the money one has invested in this project.
Imagine you have spent years writing a children’s book and you published only 10 copies. Turns out, 50 people have ended up with it. This happened because someone made of copy of your book started selling it, and kept the profit to themselves. You would feel terrible, wouldn’t you?
Now let’s imagine another scenario. You want to watch Ozark season 3 and your Netflix subscription is expired. You do a good old google search and find season 3 online for free. As tempting as it seems, this could land you in trouble.
Sources of Online Piracy
These are some online sources of piracy to avoid:
Online Streaming Sites
Plenty of online streaming sites are available now that allow users to watch the copyright content for free. These are usually one of those sites where a pop-up appears and blocks the movie. Although the content here is available for free, sites like these are a powerhouse of malware, which is secretly installed on your PC or laptop whenever you visit that site.
Peer to Peer Networks
If you are a 90s kid, you can recall Napster, a website that made it easier for all internet users to share, upload and download music in MP3 format. The very premise of this website was a violation of copyright law. As a result, this company was used and it went bankrupt. Not only this, the music industry used many ordinary users who took part in this service.
Peer-to-peer networks like this still exist. Bit Torrent is a common example. They allow people to share and download copyrighted content. Along with the site owners, anyone who uses these sites is the culprit.
How to Prevent Piracy?
Unfortunately, the nature of digital media makes it hard to know which content is stolen or pirated. If you want to be sure that you don’t end up breaking the law or harming the revenue of the creators, these are some ways you can remain vigilant:
Use Parental Controls
Kids may end up accessing websites hosting pirated content unintentionally. To avoid this, it’s recommended to keep your guard up by installing parental controls. Limit the sites and devices they are allowed to use. It is best if you can give them a brief introduction on what internet piracy is and why is it important.
Only Visit Mainstream Sites for Streaming
Never use free streaming sites to watch movies or TV shows. Stick to the sites you know which include Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Spectrum Specials, etc.
Never Download Music from Free Sites
You are going to come across many sites from where you can download free music. Stay away from them! Instead, choose services like Pandora, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Music only.
Summing Up
Online piracy is killing the world of entertainment. The artists and content creators who work so hard and struggle to make a career have been deprived of the credits for a long time. It’s great that copyright infringement law is in place to crack down on all illegal access to copyrighted content.
When it comes to watching content online, always trust your instincts. We are all knowledgeable consumers, right? One can easily tell the difference between a reputable site and a questionable source. When in doubt, either Google to find out more about that website or simply stay away from it!
