Most of us love to download movies. Why pay a hefty amount to sit in a theatre and watch something you can easily watch in the privacy of your home, for free! Having said that, do you realise that you might be committing a serious crime that might even throw you in jail?

The misconception of what is copyright and how it works has been prevalent for a long time, and it’s time we get our facts straight and start following the rules. We need to understand that, like photocopying, downloading films and songs too is illegal. When authors, musicians and other artists put out their creativity, it is not free for all. We must remember that the person has probably spent a lot of time and money to get published, and we as users need to respect that and get a proper license before using their art for free. Giving credit to the author/artist is only justified when his/her art form is fairly used.

Any crime can cause devastating loss, be it driving under the influence or copyright infringement. When you copy without consent, you reduce the hard work of the artist and publisher to nothing. This too is a crime; both under the table transactions and blatant reproduction of original works are punishable by law

Copyrights are rights given by the law to the creators of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works and the producers of cinematograph films and sound recordings. These include the rights of reproduction, adaptation, translation, and communication of the work to the public. The scope and duration of protection provided varies with the nature of the protected work.

In a case of copyright infringement, the offender can be penalised with imprisonment (up to 3 years) and/or fines (up to 2,00,000 rupees). Are you still going to take the gamble?

As an organisation or individual reproducing material from copyrighted work, you’re not exactly safe from the law. Do the smart thing; get blanket coverage with an IRRO license.