It seems like not a week can go by without another story appearing in the press about the dangers of downloading or about the illegal scammers making a fortune from unsuspecting consumers. Of course, this is far from the truth – downloading files can be completely safe, legal and, above all, fun! In the respect, we bring you a list of the top five reasons why everyone should get on the download bandwagon.
Convenience
One of the biggest factors in favour of downloading is that you can do it all from the comfort of your own home! You no longer need to drive to a store to see if they have the particular album or film you want to watch (only to find they sold out last week). Instead, you can simply log on to one of the thousands of legal download sites and access great content within minutes. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Downloading Legally
Although it has taken a bad rap in the past, downloading content is now legal and totally acceptable. No longer do consumers have to resort to illegally file sharing in order to access the latest films and music as companies are beginning to realize the power of downloading and offer commercially viable options for consumers to download content. After all, downloading new music and films is supposed to be fun, without the worry that you are doing something illegal! If the latest movies are your thing, these five sites provide a platform for you to legally download a range of titles. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Downloading Legally
The legal concept of “copyright” was first ratified by the United Kingdom‘s Statute of Anne of 1709. As room was not made for the unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted content within this newly formulated statutory right, the courts gradually created a doctrine of “fair abridgement”, which later became “fair use”, that recognized the utility of such actions. The doctrine only existed in the U.S. as common law until it was incorporated into the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107, excerpted here:
Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
- the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
- the nature of the copyrighted work;
- the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
- the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
Tags: fair use, law
Categories: Downloading Legally, Resources
We’ve heard of talk of fair use in the context of downloading, sharing and performing of copyrighted works. What’s it all about? How are ordinary consumers affected? It’s good if we know our rights as consumers, and it’s also good for creators of content, art or music to acknowledge fair use.
Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as use for scholarship or review. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author’s work under a four-factor balancing test. It is based on free speech rights provided by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The term “fair use” is unique to the United States; a similar principle, fair dealing, exists in some other common law jurisdictions.
Tags: fair use
Categories: Downloading Legally, Resources
The site Love to Know Music, offers free and legal downloads for members and it has quite a collection of free downloads from a myriad of artists. From Country Music, Reggae, Smashing Pumpkins, Electronica and more music from around the globe, they have them all ready for download. They might not have the big names but they have some of the most promising artists along with their music videos which they also offer for free. They even feature MySpace music codes to go with your downloads along with band profiles and the likes. The site contains genre information, band profiles, events information (Schedules), other sources of free music and tips on how you can get your hands on your favorite tunes.
The people who make up the site say they’re just like anybody else who loves music, they’re mad about their tunes. And what better way than to spread the news so others can see and hear what you’re talking about. In today’s world of paid downloads this is truly a find. Just browsed around for sites and they just popped right out. Checked it out and there they were, all free and all legal. That’s the best part, for no threat of being hounded by the RIAA for downloading and copying illegal stuff a couple of years back (see previous post). There are a lot of sites out there that still offer some of the best free music but they are getting wiped out by commercial sites. Unlike college approved sites like Ruckus, they do not have much in terms of money gaining potential. Going P2P is getting harder too but they are still around for they just keep eluding the guys who are out to get them.
P2P has lost some of its shine due to problems with privacy and malware yet many still choose them as a source of all types of downloads. Governments have been stepping up measures to limit and even shut them down but these P2P sites still manage to keep one step ahead of them all the time.
Tags: all genres, Free-Downloads, Legal-Downloads
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Providers, Videos
One of the sites that cater to the new generation of artists who are seeking to make it big in the music scene that offers free membership that allows bands and people to share their music with the world and other music lovers like them. There is also a premium membership that has some value added features allowing more access to all the latest gigs and events in the music world. Independent musicians love such sites and are beginning to shun from social networks due to the sheer size of the people who are flooding the tube. JukeBoxAlive gives musicians the breaks they need for their music to get in, around and about as they make their name in the independent music scene. A sudden rise in the number of these start-up bands has expanded due to programming like AI which has had many a talented artists joining the battle to become the next US top artists. Such is the influence of these programs that teens have not only developed their talent for singing but developing musical skills in the process allowing more talent to show.
They offer promotional services to get your music out on the street and into the hands of your fans. The allow you to advertise your cd’s as well and get you known in the music industry and who knows, you might make it big into a great career. They also allow you to create blogs so your fans can follow developments in your music and band. So, if you’re a band and you need exposure, get onto the site and get well underway on your path to success in the music industry.
Tags: Advertising, Bands, CD Sales, Media Exposure
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Providers, Resources
Like most P2p sites, this one gives you access to some of the hottest and latest music and music videos from all over that is legal. The site offers a free version of their proprietary software which you use to manage all your shared files, downloads, previews and many more. The free version allows you to download a copy of the song which you can play for 3 times before the song is either purchased or deleted. There is a low one time membership fee of $35.00 which gives you legal unlimited downloads of music and music videos with lower packages of 2-year access at $30.00 and $20.00 for a year’s membership.
Common’ guys, nothing’s free anymore on the net and paying assures your ass doesn’t get sued for piracy. If one is also interested in downloading DVD’s which you can burn (with the use of their software of course) and play in your portable, PC or view using your home theater you can opt for the additional $15.00 to get unlimited downloads.
As you might have noticed, there is a proprietary program to download, play and burn your cd’s which they use for DRM instead of you deciding which is which but it still falls in your lap if you do get to upload or download a so-called hot track or music video. DRM has been almost non-existent in the P2P world which makes it the worst place to find legal music. The software allows you to get sample tracks which you could play for three times after which you can buy them or delete them from your play list (with the free version of the software). The fee you pay removes all the annoying ads and advertising hoopla included with the other free music download sites.
Advertising is the bread and butter of most free music sharing sites like Ruckus and the many others out there and when you do register and get a paid service, you get them out of the standard free programs. You have access to all the latest tracks from Arvil, Timbaland and many more, so do check them out for some of the best legal downloads from a P2P site that’s fast and legal. Get it, LEGAL, meaning you get your music without stepping over somebody else’s toes and get sued later for DRM violation Intellectual Copyrights infringement. So MP3Rocket.com for the best P2P legal downloads. The fee you pay is a one time fee, you don’t get charged per/download or video. As long as you’re within the contract (package) scope, you get unlimited access to all the music, video and music videos you like.
Tags: free-software, One-Time-Membership, Paid-P2P
Categories: Applications, Downloading Legally, DVD Videos, Freeware, Music, Providers, Videos
The non-profit group’s aim is to promote awareness of the real issue behind the music piracy scene. There are many similar organizations that do the same and their voice is the same, stop piracy and the trade of illegal music which is booming into a major problem. Their research shows that there are over 243 million files which were shared over illegal P2P sites impacting those who compose and sing them down to the people who earn their living selling music in the retail stores world-wide. The advent of digital TV and radio contributes to the problem due to the digital format which allows it to be saved onto other digital media for playback later and some end up shared over P2P sites as well.
Of the almost 250 million files that are illegally shared over the internet, a vast majority are music files which are shared without control. The demise of copy protection software which used to be included in audio CD’s themselves has amplified the problem causing more and more people using and sharing them without proper licenses. All works of intellectual bearing are protected by several copyright and intellectual rights management yet they seem to be quite inadequate due to increasing sharing of such. The talent and gifts embodied by songs are not only the livelihood of the millions of artists around the globe but also their way of sharing the beauty of music yet they seldom get their hard earned buck which compared to a street-side performer who gets a dime or so in his hat for every performance they do. They are affected the same way and aim to raise the cause that it is illegal and against the law to do such file sharing.
Not all people prefer to share illegally yet some fall victim to malware which opens their computers leaving them vulnerable to copying by people who take over control without them even knowing it.
Tags: Illegal File Sharing, Malware, P2P, Piracy
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is not my favorite browser. I just find it a little clunky and hard to personalize. But RepairIE is one app that may make me relook IE again.
The 500kb utility has five tabs that help you administer IE in a way that is easy to do and understand. You can configure IE’s appearance, features, network connections, search and security through a simple yes/no interface. The sheer number of customizable options makes this an indispensable tool if you’re an Internet Explorer user.
Tags: Internet Explorer, RepairIE
Categories: Applications
Don’t you just hate the way Windows manages attached devices and storage media on the USB? I just about explode everytime I get a message that I can’t safely remove my flashdisk because some program is said to be using it and you frantically remove every single app that’s open hoping that it’s the one that’s causing the problem.
That’s why I think a utility like USB Safely Remove is such an indispensable tool. It helps manage USB devices by actually indicating what it is and removing devices is as simple as clicking on it. The cool thing is that if there is a conflict, the utility will tell you what application is causing the problem.
I think everyone should have this device.
Tags: USB Safely Remove, Windows
Categories: Applications
