If you're thinking about linking to a file-sharing streaming movie website, [View all]

[MineralMan]

think first about this from the Terms of Service notice on DU:

Don't do anything illegal.
Do not post messages which violate any U.S. laws (eg. linking to illegally-shared files, attempting to organize hacking or DOS attacks, libel/slander, etc.).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=termsofservice

Whether you think piracy of copyright-protected material is good or bad, it remains illegal. If there's a site streaming a movie or music that hasn't been released into the public domain, then that site is illegally sharing that movie or music. You may well think that copyright protection is wrong and that all intellectual property should be freely distributed. That doesn't change the fact that it's illegal to publish, share, or download copyright-protected material.

DU prohibits links to such websites. Clearly it does. It's right there in the TOS. It's a good idea to follow the simple rules in the TOS on this website. It's simple to follow. Just don't link to those websites. Not sure if a streaming site is legal? Well, if the movie's still in the theaters and hasn't even been released to DVD, then it's not legally being streamed. Same with music.

On the user side: If you're watching streaming movies from these pirate file-sharing websites, keep in mind that your ISP keeps records of what you do on the internet. Right now, the FBI and other agencies aren't actively looking for people who do this, but that isn't always true, and some people have paid dearly for this stuff in the past. Is it worth the risk?