Hey Everyone! I got Broadband!

[AKAArzosah]

Does anyone know what sort of legal problems I might encounter in downloading TV shows?

And how I might go about doing so. (Most legal way...)

There are sites where you can pay to download episodes, but I can't find any with Stargate Atlantis. Are these sites any more legal than, say, sharing between people? What is it about sharing that's illegal, if no profit is involved?

[Nate the Great]

Um, is a public forum really the best place to be asking these things? I'd have gone with PMing a few close friends. And can I emphasize PUBLIC FORUM a few more times?

Anyway, the only "legal" site I know of is Itunes (or whatever Apple's calling it these days).

[AKAArzosah]

That's why I'm asking about the legal problems. What better place to get much input. There's differing degrees of illegal, ie downloading someone's TV based music video for personal enjoyment, compared to downloading a series and selling it.
And this would be why I'm asking for a legal site to download shows. Damn I hate the whole 'joking doesn't work through text' thing. Okay I'll go edit that bit.
I don't see why a discussion about the law and whether it's reasonable should be a bad thing.

[AKAArzosah]

I don't know WHO I would ask about downloading things anyway.

[Nate the Great]

I was just a little concerned that your first post could basically be interpreted as "where can I go to steal stuff?"

As for who to ask, the answer would be "not me." I'm basically just causing trouble, here. I don't have broadband, and it's all my dialup can handle to temporarily watch a YouTube movie.

[AKAArzosah]

Yeah I know it kinda came off that way but it was meant to be a joke. What I mean is, where can I go that it's NOT stealing?

Legal downloading places are almost impossible to find, and the iTunes website has to be one of the worst to navigate that I have ever seen.

I was also interested in how far the laws regarding downloads extend, and peoples opinions on those laws.

[Nate the Great]

Well, once again I'm not one to judge. I've seen too many good sites, webvideos, game remakes, etc. get shut down because of "copyright infringement" even though no profit was being made and all appropriate legal disclaimers were in effect (the exciting GBA-style remake of Ocarina of Time comes to mind). It's a shame.

[Celeste]

If you're looking for shows that are currently airing on such networks as NBC, CBS, Fox etc, most of those shows are streaming online at the networks official websites for free. It's something anyway. if not... ::Cough::bittorrent::cough::

[AKAArzosah]

Ok, since I don't know about what US networks things are on, can anyone tell me what SGA is on?

[Zeke]

Sci-Fi Channel, like the original SG show. I know their site has offered free BSG before, so maybe you can get SGA episodes there.

The ethics of downloading TV, music, etc. are an ugly issue. I can't think of any interpretation of the law that would make it okay, and I don't think the law is wrong. But downloading is not going to go away. More and more companies have decided to embrace it rather than fight it; hence, free online TV and such. Sometimes a technology just plows right through the debates about it. (I'm glad it's this one right now and not cloning...)

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

(the exciting GBA-style remake of Ocarina of Time comes to mind)

Actually, it's still around. Google "oot2d". But don't get too excited -- many fangames are hyped but few ever materialize, especially when they're this ambitious.

[Nate the Great]

I thought that all of the Nintendo fangames had been shut down. In fact, I heard that one of the authors actually faked his own death to "escape" having to finish the game.

[PointyHairedJedi]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Sometimes a technology just plows right through the debates about it. (I'm glad it's this one right now and not cloning...)

Cloning? Cloning is so last year. Artificially created life is where it's at right now, or at least that's what that crazy Mr Venter seems to think.