Legalities of download/pirated software "links"

[whydna]

Hi, does anyone know about the legalities of providing links to downloads of illegal software, movies, etc.

For example, bit-torrent link sites, forums like warez-bb.org, etc.

How are these sites still running?

 

[007]

Seems like a thin line to me. Linking to those sites will certainly get you flagged with Google though, so if you like being in Google then it's not a good idea to do that.

I don't think you can get in trouble personally though, since you aren't hosting the files, but then again I am not a lawyer so I can't say for sure.

 

[Dale Hubbard]

Ask Denny007 about it. Check out his signature.

 

[Olney]

Most wouldn't advice doing it if it's a domain or site you care about.

 

[whitebark]

go to google, yahoo, msn or any other search engine and search for whatever illegal piece of software you want. you will find tens of thousands of links - don't worry about it. Just don't host the material yourself. That's not a legal opinion, just an observation of the way things are.

 

[denny007]

Ask Denny007 about it. Check out his signature.

I am just innocent search engine. If someone find a children porn with Google - would be Google to blame ?

 

[whydna]

Reason I ask is because I own a downloads domain, and want to create a downloads forum. Not that I will be promoting the sharing of pirated downloads links - but wondering if I should work hard to prevent them from being posted.

 

[Talkhost]

Even just a link to an illegal download can cause problems. Does not matter if the actual download is on a server in a country where it is not illegal.

I've been contacted in the past from the Hollywood legal types regarding "links" on sites on my servers.

I had a client who ran a torrent tracking site. No physical downloads just a tracking site, with links to torrents..

As far as I was concerned it was not illegal. But I didn't need the headache of lawyers so I just pulled the site.

Why do these lawyers never chase google/yahoo etc for having links to torrents???

 

[flybuzz]

I would stay away, unless you know what you are doing and have a lawyer.