Legality of streaming movies

ojrules

ojrules

ojrules

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I've googled it and done a forum search but i can't find a definitive answer. What is the legality of streaming a movie off the internet?- regardless of the morals, i'm at uni and my dvd collection is back at home... Is it straight up illegal?


- i guess this thread might get closed soon, and fair enough, but im just trying to get a definitive answer, because that seems pretty hard to come by...
 
m@rty said:
Who cares if its legal or not?

I'll bet your going to do it anyway!
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well i'm on a university server, so i'd prefer that i didnt get my internet connection terminated...

- im not a cheap pirating uni student, all my music collection is either spotify, or albums that have been paid for, and that goes for all the software on my pc...
 
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thanks for clearing that up( i know it may seem blindingly obvious but theres a lot of conflicting information on the internet.. i'l make sure i buy them in future)..-- does anybody reccommend any good pay-streaming, or downloading sites?
 
Deluxe1 said:
Would it only be illegal if he was saving it?
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this is what half of the internet suggests, and the other half suggests the opinions above... while obviously the sites creators are breaking the law, in general on the internet it is not clear as to whether streaming without saving is illegal.-- can anyone find any specific quoted law on the subject?
 
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Minstadave said:
Hang on, what is illegal with streaming movies you own on your home server to another computer?
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Getting them on to the home server in the first place would be the problem there. If the original source was DVD - as the OP indicates - then you'd have to copy the DVD (copyright infringement). You'd also have to break the copy protection which is an issue in itself.

As for streaming, it depends what and where. If you're streaming stuff from home for which you have legitimate access under copyright law (e.g. "time shifting") then it's probably OK. If it's from iPlayer/ITV Player/4oD/Sky Player etc, then that's fine too. Same goes for LoveFilm. If it's from some dodgy internet site, then probably not.
 
Whats Illegal about it ?

He owns the original (so surely he has the right to make a backup of it in whatever format he chooses) - he is watching it on his own (not broadcasting it to others)

What's the difference in having a collection of DVD's in a multiplayer under your stairs and watching them in a bedroom in the same house (as 90% of media server sellers suggest)
 
There is no legal right to make backup copies of DVDs unless said individual DVD allows it. Anything else is infringement of copyright. That's the law.

Of course, format conversion of media is an accepted practice within the industry (my entire CD collection is going that way - otherwise I couldn't listen to it on my iPod) but unless copyright law has recently been updated then even that is still technically illegal.
 
It's not illegal to stream certain content eg "extreme porn" despite it being illegal to posess, however I'm not sure the same applies to copyright laws.
 
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