Lost Season 3 episode 1 SPOILERS

[lodica1967]

So of course this was leaked to bittorrent sites. Search for Lost pre-release or Lost S03E1 A Tale of Two Cities if you want it.

I am trying to decide if I want to download it or wait for the season to start! Moral delimma..... is it illegal to download tv shows even if you want to see it really really bad??? :p

[Bsteenson]

Legal, no.

Moral, that's up to you. I don't have a problem with you doing it, but I wouldn't do it myself.

[spikedavis]

I would doubt it's even legitimate. A lot of time the torrent files are for something else entirely. I once tried downloading a LOST episode I missed and it was Desperate Housewives.

[lodica1967]

I really wouldn't do it either. I was searching for spoilers and found the torrent by accident.

I am amazed it's out there already! There is really no point in watching it anyway, think of how long you'd have to wait for the next episode!

[getbak]

Is it legit?

It seems very early for this to be leaking. It's almost two months before the season will start airing.

[DougF]

Lost leaked season premieres are getting out of hand.

[unicorngoddess]

Lost leaked season premieres are getting out of hand.

Not as out of hand as season premire leaked threads :)

[pjhartman]

It's also a password-protected .rar file, so unless you know the file password, downloading it gets you nowhere.

[GuysInCT]

It's also a password-protected .rar file, so unless you know the file password, downloading it gets you nowhere.So you've been told? :D

[AstroDad]

If anyone happens to find out what the password is, feel free to post it

[TheGreyOwl]

Does anyone know for sure that it actually is illegal? After all, these shows are broadcast for free - you don't have to pay anything to watch them. It doesn't seem the same as downloading DVDs or mp3s.

It is legal to record a tv show on a vhs tape and give it to a friend. This really doesn't seem any different.

[mhalver]

I doubt that it is actually legal. In fact my understanding that even that recording a show and giving it to a friend is a bit questionable. In fact I think that when you record something you are only legally allowed to keep it for a certain amount of time. I had a Latin teacher in high school who actually followed that law. The shows that she recorded off from PBS to use for class she would erase after that time and then wait till they re-air to record them again.

[TheGreyOwl]

The problem with saying "it's illegal" is how do you quantify the crime? If you download a DVD, for example, you can easily say you got something for free that costs $15 in the store. In effect, it's like stealing $15.

However, if I were to download an episode of Lost, what was stolen exactly? The show is broadcast for free. You could argue that they make money by making you watch commercials and the online version has no commercials. But that doesn't fly because I use 30-second skip and don't watch commercials anyway. I don't think it's illegal to use 30-second skip, so that comparison doesn't hold. If legally depended on watching the commercials, not only would 30-second skip be illegal but so would fast-forwarding.

If you talk about a cable channel that isn't broadcast for free, like FX for example, then it still doesn't make sense as long as you actually pay for that channel. That's because they don't charge you per show, but a flat rate lumped into your cable/satellite bill that is essentially "all you can watch". So if I pay for FX and miss an episode of Nip/Tuck because a storm made by receiver cut out, it doesn't seem wrong to download it since I've essentially already paid for it in my monthly bill.

The only time I can see it as being illegal is if you download something like the Sopranos without ever subscribing to HBO.

[mhalver]

I think that what it really comes down to is the format it is presented in. It is legal for you to watch it as it comes over the airwaves. It is not legal for you to change the format and post it to the net (or download it as such).

I don't claim to be an expert on it though and very well may be wrong, but I believe that I am right. I don't know if there is anybody on this board that is an expert on this sort of law, but if there is they can say one way or the other.

[AstroDad]

I don't think it is technically illegal to download it, but it is illegal to distribute it. Since you are sharing with others at the same time you are downloading it when you use bittorent, you could be construed as distributing it.

[amplex4]

i watched the 1st episode thanks to torrent files i dont care were i watch it i seen the 1st episode and boy its so interesting

[Waldorf]

There are some interesting articles out there on copyright infringement vs. stealing/theft. It is a fascinating topic and deserves its own forum. :)

On the plus side, it's been determined by the courts that infringement is not theft...

http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/LaMacchia/lamacchia_acquittal.decision

However, on the negative side, the penalties for infringement are way out of wack in light of contemporary technologies and the way we communicate and share information.

In short, it seems like you'd be better off stealing all of the 'Lost' box sets from Wal-Mart as well as any other shows or movies you might be interested in than downloading a single episode of a show. :)

http://offtheshelf.nowis.com/index.cfm?ID=5