Many of us have been there. Maybe you were just dying to see that new movie, but you didn’t want to go to the theater to watch it. Maybe you were dying to listen to that new album, but didn’t have the money to pay for it. These things happen so much, you might not even think that they constitute a crime. However, illegal downloading is a crime in the state of Connecticut. Illegal downloading can become much more complicated than burning a CD. Here, you can learn more about the illegal download crime and what to do if you are charged with it.

Illegal Download Crime

Illegal downloading has become a common crime in recent years. This crime is especially popular among high school and college students. However, anyone can face charges for this crime. The police usually charge illegal downloading based on one of two things. The first instance of illegal downloading occurs when people download copyrighted material. This includes material such as songs, movies, books, etc. from the internet. Even if you just use these materials for your own recreational purposes, this still constitutes illegal downloading.

Another example of illegal downloading occurs when you purchase a CD, DVD, or other material, and then you distribute it to other people by burning copies. Just because you purchase something does not give you the right to distribute it to other people. Unless you expressly got permission to distribute material from the creator, you should assume that all materials have copyright and you cannot give them to other people.

Penalties

If you are being accused of this crime, a lawsuit might be brought against you. In addition, you can be subjected to fines per file that you illegally downloaded. Fines could be up to several hundred dollars per illegal file obtained.

Because illegal downloading crimes can be so serious, you need to make sure that you properly defend yourself against the charges. For this reason, it is important to contact a criminal defense attorney to protect your rights and help you build a case. If you need a lawyer to guide you through the criminal justice process, please get in touch with an attorney. Our attorneys are happy to answer your questions, build your defense, and make sure that your rights are protected throughout this process.