isn't downloading music of the net wrong?

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Oren

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i thought i saw a statement from the Vatican that it is wrong. Like downloading music, filesharing, that it is wrong. Is there certain circumstances where it isn’t? I know paying for it like, paying the fee for napster is ok, but not just downloading stuff for free like on kazaa right? could someone tell me.
 
Objectively, violating a copyright is illegal. Copyright laws are not opposed to God’s law, so as Christians we should obey them because they come from a legitimate authority.

That being said, sometimes I exceed the posted speed limits despite recognizing the state’s legitimate authority to limit my driving speed. My thinking on knowingly breaking laws of the state is that you should be willing to accept the consequences should you get caught. This, of course, assumes that breaking the state’s law is not immoral.

Is downloading a song you otherwise would not buy stealing? I don’t know. But if you think it’s stealing then you shouldn’t do it as that would entail violating your conscience.

Personally, I don’t download much at all but I do burn CD’s I borrow from friends, which is the same thing. This is a tricky question and tricky questions can sometimes lead to scrupulosity (something these forums are no stranger to). Here are four principles we should all follow:
  1. Be honest
  2. Don’t be scrupulous
  3. Form your conscience well
  4. Follow your conscience
I’d be interested to know if the Pope really condemned file sharing–seems more particular than the Pope or the Magisterium usually gets.

This issue really makes for excellent material to explore ethics. Thanks for asking the question.
  • JP
 
It’s UNDOUBTFULLY wrong to steal music off of the internet. It’s no differant then walking into a Best Buy and taking CD’s off the shelf and walking out. Music is a product just like everything else no matter how personal music can be to you.
 
Think of it this way–do you like to be paid for doing your job? So do the musicians. Buying music ensures that the artist gets paid for his work. Most musicians do not make as much as one would think, and they depend on sales (and concerts) for their income.

Now, this is not to say that using file sharing programs and downloading music is wrong. There is plenty of legitimate uses for file sharing, and plenty of artist-authorized free downloads of music available. archive.org has a Live Music Archive with thousands of concerts that artists have allowed to be put online. These are generally smaller bands, and the popularity they get from the concerts is paid off by more people hearing about them, spreading the word, and buying their albums when they come available.
 
Downloading anything off the Internet is unlawful and falls under the premise of the 7th commandment if the information downloaded would normally require a monetary contribution to possess. THerefore, if a young musician is making his music available for free online to promote himself, then downloading it is not wrong. However, downloading music that is normally available for commerical release is stealing, as the proprietor of that music is owed his due reward. Same thing with software or ebooks. So, the rule is, if you would normally have to pay for it to possess it, then downloading it for free is wrong.
 
Unless the owner grants you permission (using through you purchasing it) to download it for your use, downloading music off of the net is theft.
 
It depends on the status. The rules are those of Intellectual Property (IP). If it has ownership restrictions then, yes, it is not only wrong but also illegal. Some artists have released their work as “shareware”. This situation gives the public the right to use it, but you must pay for it if you’re going to keep it. Finally, if it is in the public domain, then anyone can download and use it as they please.
 
Priest told me if its copyrighted then its stealing and therefore a sin
 
Some sites (for example EWTN) offer audio content for free, with the expectation that people will download it.

In addition, the laws of some countries allow, for example, the burning of a copy of a CD for personal use, though not to give to other people.

If in doubt, check with the producers of the material or seek the advice of someone who knows your country’s copyright law.
 
Brown10985 said:
It’s UNDOUBTFULLY wrong to steal music off of the internet. It’s no differant then walking into a Best Buy and taking CD’s off the shelf and walking out. Music is a product just like everything else no matter how personal music can be to you.
Click to expand...
When you steal a CD from Best Buy, Best Buy has to buy a new CD- not so with internet downloading- from this comes the trickiness.
 
For future reference, you don’t need to bump multiple threads on the same topic JoshR, one suffices. 👍
 
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