版权、盗版和文件共享
版权是对原创思想表达的保护, 是否以音乐的形式表现出来, 一幅画, 或其他书面材料. 如果你创造了什么，它就是你的. 根据现行联邦法律，版权所有者拥有许多权利, 包括控制复制的权利, 分布, and adaptation of the work and the PUBLIC performance or display of the work. 版权法不仅适用于音乐，也适用于电脑和游戏软件.
对于任何音乐录音，至少涉及两个版权作品. First, there is the copyright in the musical work: the lyrics and musical notes written on paper. 歌曲作者或音乐出版商通常拥有这种版权. 然后是录音的版权问题, 录音:表演者演唱或演奏特定歌曲的录音. 唱片公司通常拥有这种版权. 就软件标题而言, the copyright may be owned by the software writer or the company for whom the programmer works (i.e., Microsoft owns the copyright to MS Windows 98, and Apple Computer owns the copyright to Mac OS 9).
法律是一样的. 繁殖, 分布, 以及录音的数字传输, 很多情况下甚至是样本, 必须得到录音业主的授权. 从你自己的CD上上传音乐, 允许人们从你的网站上下载音乐, and downloading sound recordings or software without express permission from the copyright owner are all violations of copyright law. 目前, the most commonly available software for listening to audio on your computer is MPEG Layer-3 Audio, 俗称MP3. This file format is used for storing sound digitally, such as on a computer hard drive. 许多网站现在提供音乐听和下载. 然而, the problem with many of these sites is that they are being created without the copyright owners' permission to use the music and thus violate federal and/or state copyright laws. 这些违规行为的后果可能很严重.
软件盗版有不同的类型. 他们是 终端用户盗版, 经销商盗版, BBS /互联网盗版, and Trademark/ Trade Name Infringement.
终端用户盗版 is using multiple copies of a single software package on several different systems or distributing copies of the software to others.
经销商盗版 occurs when a reseller distributes multiple copies of a single software package to different customers; this includes preloading systems with software without providing original manuals and diskettes (or CDs). Reseller piracy occurs when resellers knowingly sell counterfeit software versions to unsuspecting customers.
BBS /互联网盗版 当受版权保护的软件以电子方式转移时发生. If system operators and/or users upload and download copyrighted software and materials onto or from bulletin boards or the Internet for others to copy and use without the proper license, 这是违法的.
商标/商号侵权 occurs when an individual or dealer claims to be authorized as a technician, 支持供应商, 或转售或不当使用商标或商品名称.
软件类型:
- 共享: 基于荣誉系统分发的软件. 大多数共享软件都是免费的, but the author usually requests a small fee if you like the program and use it regularly. 通过发送小额费用, you become registered with the producer to receive service assistance and updates. 您可以复制共享软件并将其传递给朋友和同事, 但他们, 太, 如果他们使用该产品，需要支付费用吗. Shareware is inexpensive because it is usually produced by a single programmer and is offered directly to customers; thus, 几乎没有包装或广告费用.
Note that shareware differs from public-domain software in that shareware IS copyrighted, 这意味着你不能将共享软件产品作为自己的产品出售. - 免费软件: 受版权保护的软件由作者免费提供. 虽然是免费的, 版权归作者所有, which means that you cannot do anything with it that is not expressly allowed by the author. 通常，作者允许人们使用软件，但不允许出售. 公有领域软件:指任何未受版权保护的程序. 公共领域的软件是免费的，可以不受限制地使用. 公共领域的软件经常被误用，包括免费软件, 受版权保护的自由软件.
既然你知道了盗版的类型和软件的类型, 如何判断一个网站是否提供非法软件或音乐? 根据 娱乐软件协会 (ESA), formerly Interactive Digital 软件 Association (IDSA), it can be difficult to tell. 然而，他们确实列出了盗版网站的共同特征.
盗版网站的特点:
- 免费下载网站: These sites provide free downloads of copyrighted works located on the same server as the webpage. They often offer games (also referred to as "warez" or "gamez") and business applications ("appz"). 该页面经常更新，以提供最新的标题. Pornographic websites often sponsor them to help defray their bandwidth costs.
- 链接网站: These sites facilitate and encourage the free download of copyrighted works located on a remote server. 它们通常提供游戏和商业博彩平台推荐程序. 而网页通常不包含侵权软件, 它提供了获得它的手段, 这就产生了法律责任. There is usually a news section next to each link, which gives the status of the remote sites. These sites are updated frequently since most of the servers they link to are removed within a few hours, 同时也会出现新的. 同样，这些网站通常是由色情网站赞助的.
- 专业海盗: These are typically large sites (often with their domain name) providing numerous pirated titles. They sometimes offer games the same day they are available in the stores or a few weeks before their official release. 这些页面经常更新. 其中一些网站接受信用卡支付交易, 在很多情况下, perpetrate a fraud on the consumer by taking the consumer's payment but sending no product in exchange. 有关特定站点的信息，请联系欧空局.
神话# 1: 如果我从自己的CD上上传音乐，我不会违反版权法.
仅仅因为你拥有CD并不意味着你拥有音乐. You can't legally upload music to the Internet without permission from the copyright owners of the sound recording and the musical composition.
神话# 2: If I don't charge people for downloading music from my site, it is not a violation of the law.
禁止电子盗窃(NET)法案, 哪一个修改了版权法第506条, clarified that even if a site barters or trades infringing materials or does not charge or otherwise make a profit, 他仍有可能承担刑事责任.
神话# 3: 如果我下载录音，那不算违法.
It IS a violation if you upload or download sound recordings without permission from the copyright owners. You should assume other people's works are copyrighted and can't be copied unless you know otherwise.
谬论# 4: If a website doesn't display a copyright notice for the music, the music is not copyrighted.
在美国.S., 几乎所有在3月1日之后私人创作的作品, 1989, is copyrighted and protected whether or not a website has a notice to that effect.
误区5: I am not liable for copyright infringement if I upload or download a sound recording and leave it on my server or hard drive for less than 24 hours.
You are likely violating copyright law if you upload or download a sound recording for 24 hours or 24 seconds.
误区6: It is legal to have a site that links to unauthorized files as long as the actual files are not on my server.
就像盗版链接网站一样, Web sites that link to sites that infringe copyrighted materials also infringe on copyright.
For a list of sites that offer legal alternatives to unauthorized downloading, see EDUCAUSE 网上内容的合法来源网页.