Copying and distributing copyrighted music without permission is wrong, dangerous, and against the law.
Most of us would never even consider walking out of a record store with an unpaid for CD. Our sense of right and wrong keeps us from behaving so dishonestly.
Yet when it comes to stealing digital recordings of copyrighted music, some people still seem to think the same rules don’t apply—even though criminal penalties can be as high as five years in prison or $250,000 in fines.
In 2007, at the RIAA’s first end user lawsuit to go to trial, a defendant from Minnesota was found liable of copyright infringement and ordered - by a jury of her own peers - to pay $222,000 for sharing 26 songs.
Who Really Cares?
Who Really Cares About Illegal Downloading?
We come from many different walks of life and represent many different points of view. However, the fact remains: whether you’re talking about using peer-to-peer services like Ares, BitTorrent, Gnutella, Limewire, and Morpheus to "share" digital music files with millions of people on the Internet or about compiling a collection of your favorite songs and then using a CD burner to make copies for all your friends, copying and distributing copyrighted music without permission is illegal. With so many great legal options out there, why take the risk of facing a lawsuit from copyright owners? The answer is simple: pay a little now or a lot later.
musicunited.org is the collective expression of a broad movement of people and institutions involved in the recording industry—including songwriters, recording artists, record companies, musicians and the Recording Industry Association of America.
It’s Illegal!
The unauthorized reproduction and distribution of copyrighted music is JUST AS ILLEGAL AS SHOPLIFTING A CD. Sharing music on peer-to-peer networks Ares, BitTorrent, Gnutella, Limewire, and Morpheus is against the law. The rules are very simple. Unless you own the copyright, it’s not yours to distribute.
It’s a Drag!
It’s a drag to the entire artistic community that creates music. It is a drag to the singer/songwriters who get their copyrights plundered. It is a drag to the musicians who are deprived of their dream of making a living from their art. And a drag to the record stores which have closed because of the substantial revenue losses.
Here’s the bottom line: Most of us would never even consider walking out of a record store with an unpaid for CD. Our sense of right and wrong keeps us from behaving so dishonestly.
Yet when it comes to stealing digital recordings of copyrighted music, some people still seem to think the same rules don’t apply—even though criminal penalties can be as high as five years in prison or $250,000 in fines.
In 2007, at the RIAA’s first end user lawsuit to go to trial, a defendant from Minnesota was found liable of copyright infringement and ordered - by a jury of her own peers - to pay $222,000 for sharing 26 songs.
Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, rental or digital transmission of copyrighted sound recordings. (Title 17, United States Code, Sections 501 and 506). The FBI investigates allegations of criminal copyright infringement and violators will be prosecuted..
Here’s the bottom line: Most of us would never even consider stealing something—say, a picture or a piece of clothing—from a friend’s house. Our sense of right and wrong keeps most of us from doing something so selfish and antisocial.
Yet when it comes to stealing digital recordings of copyrighted music, people somehow seem to think the same rules don’t apply—even though criminal penalties can be as high as five years in prison or $250,000 in fines.
Our goal isn’t to lecture anyone. Our goal is to encourage people to do the right thing—to let them know what’s okay and what isn’t; to educate fans about who really gets hurt when they steal music; to show computer users who want to download music from the Internet how to do it legally.
Our message is simple. Stealing music is the same as stealing anything else. It is illegal and the consequences are real, for you, and for the music.
So enjoy the music we bring you, but please respect our copyrights. Stop burning multiple copies. Stop offering to upload music files to millions of users on the Internet. Stop downloading from unauthorized sites.
Real Fans Get The Real Thing.
MUSIC (Music United for Strong Internet Copyright) Coalition Members:
AEC One Stop Group
Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies
Association for Independent Music
Association of Independent Music Publishers
American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Church Music Publishers Association
Country Music Association
Christian Music Trade Association
Gospel Music Association
Hip Hop Summit Action Network
Jazz Alliance International
Music Managers Forum-USA
Nashville Songwriters Association International
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Association of Recording Merchandisers
National Music Publishers' Association
Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industries Music Performance Trust Funds
SESAC
SoundExchange
Tennessee Songwriters Association International
The Songwriters Guild of America
- The Law
- Copyright infringement is a crime. Find out what the law says.
- What Artists Have to Say
- Artists and songwriters speak out against illegal copying. See what they have to say.