Question About Copyright

[Philippa]

Hi - I’m sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

I’m going to confession today, but I don’t know whether this is a sin or not. I know that it is wrong to upload material (movies, books, ect) onto the internet which you don’t own, because it is against the law and the artists, writers, ect. who actually own the material don’t get money for it - so it’s technically a form of stealing.

So, I have this rule where I can only watch or listen to things on YouTube which I am unable to pay for (and would pay for if it ever became available to do so), or I will pay for afterwards (like, if I’m away from home and want to listen to a song, I would use my phone to listen to it on YouTube, and then buy the song on ITunes or Amazon when I got home). There is also a Manga that I read every week through illegal scanlations, but I buy it when it becomes available to buy in the UK.

With copyright, I tend to follow what the law says first, rather on whether it is moral or not. So, for example, it’s illegal in the UK to put your own CDs onto your IPod or MP3 player for personal use, which I don’t think is immoral, but I don’t do it anyway because it’s illegal. But, I think, in the UK, it isn’t illegal to view or listen to things online, so long as you don’t make another copy and don’t upload it yourself.

So, since nobody’s losing money from what I’m doing, and I don’t think (?) it’s illegal, is it not a sin? Or am I just trying to justify something that I’m doing which is wrong?

 

[edwest2]

Here is a good article:

catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3569

I think whenever you have a doubt to bring it up to the priest. Copyright simply means right to copy. All you need to ask yourself is “Do I have the right to copy this or watch this or listen to this without the permission of the person or company that owns this material?”

With youtube, unless a company or artist placed it there, you don’t know if it’s there legally.

Hope this helps,
Ed

 

[Philippa]

Thanks a lot!
I’m leaning more towards it not being sinful, but I’m still not sure.
I need to cut down on my time on the internet, anyway, regardless of whether or not it’s sinful.

 

[JABA]

With copyright, I tend to follow what the law says first, rather on whether it is moral or not. So, for example, it’s illegal in the UK to put your own CDs onto your IPod or MP3 player for personal use, which I don’t think is immoral, but I don’t do it anyway because it’s illegal. But, I think, in the UK, it isn’t illegal to view or listen to things online, so long as you don’t make another copy and don’t upload it yourself.

So, since nobody’s losing money from what I’m doing, and I don’t think (?) it’s illegal, is it not a sin? Or am I just trying to justify something that I’m doing which is wrong?

Human made law, is never really based on logic, the way it should be . This is why what is considered legal or illegal, does not always correlate with what is right or sinful. The illogical laws on copyright are an example of this.

It’s like why is homosexuality considered legal, but homophylia is not. When logically, they are both wrong and sinful.