Hey guys,
I'm new here, so I hope this question is not that awful... :)

I really love this site because you can get here all those cool music stuff a nerd wants! So I really hope this is legal downloading all those music. Maybe here are also guys from Germany who can help me if this is in my country legal. Do you think this is in Germany legal oder illegal? I won't have trouble because I've had it with YouTube... and that was expensive!

Thanks a lot for your honest answers and help!!! :D

Well it does depend on your location and local laws. But you have also have to make your own judgment call about whether you could obtain the media you are getting here through traditional, legal, avenues.

For us in America, much of this content is simply not offered to us by the respective copyright holder.

Can you steal something that doesn't exist? Copyright laws are designed to mitigate damages to the copyright holder. Take that into account. Many things are not available due to geographic location restriction or because it is out of print.

Okay, thank you soo much. It helps me a lot!
Yes, we also have many things not here, I have to import them from Japan or from somewhere else. I think this isn't a big problem, as you said, you can't steal something that doesn't exist. So thank you so much again!! :)

No, it is not legal in any way. Offered for sale or not, it is still owned by the producing company and they take a dismal view of the activities here. We can all justify it, or quantify it but in the eyes of the companies and law, we are stealing and it is as simple as that.

I think Amanda said it all, but just to clarify it a little bit, according to the Internet, "under German law, a copyright holder may require an internet server to disclose the name and address of the internet connection holder�and hold that individual financially liable for any illegal downloads that happen on that connection". And: "However, under German copyright law, one can basically assume that unless you are paying for your item, legally, through a reputable service such as Amazon or ITunes, almost all file-sharing�downloading (making a new digital copy on your computer), uploading (putting your previously purchased content on the internet for others to download), and streaming (watching a film in a browser) is illegal". So yeah, it's not really legal and good, but I don't know if anyone ever had any problems for downloading anything from this particular site. I doubt that. By the way, there's something I can't understand: if someone makes a music album, it's not really like stealing if someone in the US of A or Europe will download it instead of buying since that autor was already paid for his work, right? Will, let's say, Adele get poorer if someone in Spain won't buy her CD? I don't think so. It's all those big, greedy companies. Of course, the legal sphere is on their side, but we're just sharing music here, how big of a sin can that be?

Well, morally, it is a greyer thing. For example, I will never, have never traded or payed/charged for any share. I share anything freely. Although as we know, not all feel that way.

But, the question was on strictly legal, and sadly it is not.

If you have doubts... then it is illegal. Go and buy the stuff legally.

If you have doubts... then it is illegal. Go and buy the stuff legally.

There is that. Generally, if you see music or movies available to download for free, those downloads are illegal. Rarely are you going to legally get something for nothing. It's just...common sense. I and others partake anyway, but I have no illusions about it.

**Then, I really have no moral center at all......:awsm:


EDIT:

But, isn't life that way in general. If you are out and about, and are in the middle of doing something, or are about to do something and you have to ask yourself "I wonder if this is legal?", then it probably isn't. Or is at the very least a bad idea, right? If you need to post on a site that you are worried if something is legal, essentially asking a world of total strangers if you are doing something wrong? Then probably you are.

Okay, thank you a lot guys!
Sometimes I don't feel really sure about things so I have to ask questions to make my own opinion ;-) So thank you a lot, because it really helps me.
I think in Germany are those things and people sometimes strict but anyway, a few years ago I've downloaded many Sonic albums and I didn't have any problems with them but yes, it also depends on your morally thoughts.

---------- Post added at 06:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:51 PM ----------

I also don't understand it with the downloading of CDs from certain artists...
But thank you for comment! You helped me a lot.

Hey, I often find I have to ask things. Like I used to ask my ex-husband if the people around me were real, or the big purple lizards on my ceiling, or the voices in my head......

Now we are divorced, I have no one to ask, sooooooo

Shadow Key how did you hear about this site?