Well, guys, what a way to treat Joe501!

Joe, this is the answer you were looking for and I hope it helps all the others who read this thread. I am referring to UK law as it currently stands.

Having P2P software (Limewire, Ares, whatever) installed on your computer is perfectly legal

Searching for files using that software is also legal

Downloading files, oddly enough, is also legal

Using the files for your personal use - making CD's for the house or car stereo etc, as long as it is YOUR own use - is also legal

So what is the illegal bit?

Redistribution of the files is illegal, be it by digital, electronic or physical means - IE, emailing a song to someone, sharing it with people over the internet via Limewire etc, or making CD's which you either sell or give away. The redistribution breaks copyright law since the ONLY situation in which YOU can do that legally is if the OWNER of the copyrighted work has given you express (not implied) permission to do so.

Hence, when you download using P2P software, you are ok, but the person(s) you are downloading from are acting illegally.

In another thread UKBob has mentioned the other dangers of the activities of the Music Industry by employing agents to monitor people with vast collections of tracks they are sharing, and the distribution of useless silent "tracks" and even trojans and virus's contained in "tracks" deliberately unleashed by the unscrupulous music industry.

Bottom line is, everyone can learn something from this situation, and make progress and move on... what could that be? simple! if the Music Industry dropped the "maximise profits" stance and started charging realistic prices for CD's many more legal copies would be sold, and far fewer people would bother downloading in this way. But, the music industry never learns, does it!

Ross.