QUOTE (Mary82 @ Jan 13 2007, 04:19 PM)

Youtube, IMO, is not doing anything illegal. They are not charging anyone to watch the episodes and they are not selling it to anyone.
Regardless of your opinion on the matter, it IS illegal to upload or share copyrighted material in a manner not expressly permitted by the copyright holder (i.e. NBC in this discussion). Think about it this way, if you were broken and didn't have a VCR to record off the network and the only way for you to get the show was to walk into a video store and take a copy off their shelves, would it be okay for you to do so? I'd dare say you would agree that's theft and something that could get you in serious legal trouble. Downloading from unauthorized sites is exactly the same, no matter what you or others who do it think.
QUOTE (Aro)
I hate to break it to you there, but downloading it on VCR/DVR is actually in violation of copyright laws. I'm not sure on the specifics, but it is.
Actually, that's incorrect. Back in the early 80s the high courts made a decision called the "Sony Betamax" decision that continues to affect us today. The ruling basically said that hardware providers (i.e. the makers of videocassette recorders) couldn't be held liable for copyright violations because the basic concept of the VCR was to "time shift" shows from their original air time to whatever was convenient for the individual viewer. The courts ruled that the "free use" clause of the copyright laws allowed for an individual to make one copy of copyrighted material for their own personal use. This allowed for people to tape M*A*S*H and other shows of that time without fear that the government was going to bust down their doors and arrest them for theft.
However, the law also clarified that you couldn't make copies of that tape and give it to anyone else for their enjoyment without infringing on the rights of the copyright holder. This is the gray area that many, if not most, of us have lived in for years. For example, if you recorded SVU off the network and mailed the videocassette to your mother in NYC, then you were technically violating the copyright of NBC. However, if you were to make a copy and hand it to her when she came to visit, that would be acceptable.
I know copyright laws aren't always popular, but remember that if you were personally involved in something that warranted copyright protection, would you want millions of people to steal it without your permission or paying you for it?