Quick Question about intellectual property

[Davros]

As we know its illigal to copy someones interlectual property without permission, but is it lawfull to see someones interlectual property ?

[digitalwanderer]

Wouldn't that be interlectual trespassing? :|

[AlStrong]

IIRC, it's only illegal if you do something illegal with it. Just seeing it is not enough.

[Davros]

So if i watch a movie over the net (for example iron man) ive broken no law ?
as im not making a copy of if ?

[L233]

So if i watch a movie over the net (for example iron man) ive broken no law ?
as im not making a copy of if ?

I think it can be argued that you are in fact infringing on the owners copyright when you watch a movie over the net because technically you are making an unauthorized copy. The content has to be send to your computer. That's a copy.

Just watching it isn't illegal. Let's say a friend of yours downloads the movie and burns it on DVD for you and you watch it. You didn't infringe on the IP holder's copyright. Your friend did.

[Geo]

Well, that's an interesting point re the "stolen" discussion. Are you "in receipt of stolen property" at that point even if technically you didn't make the copy?

Ignore for the moment whether a jury would believe you, in much the "man, that joint ain't mine, I loaned this coat to a friend" defense that only seems to work for professional athletes and entertainers.

[3dilettante]

So if i watch a movie over the net (for example iron man) ive broken no law ?
as im not making a copy of if ?

Works like movies have additional restrictions on what can be done with them.

As the primary value of the work is in the viewing, because just holding a DVD of a movie doesn't really do anything without watching it, the content producer places conditions on how that value can be accessed.

For example, you can buy a movie and still not have the right to buy a projector and show it to the neighborhood. Obviously watching a movie with friends is common, so allowances are made for small groups watching with no money changing hands.

In your example, a legal transaction is one in which a person can buy a work for personal viewing.
If you watch a bootlegged copy, you've not bought it, so you do not have the commensurate right to watch it.

[Davros]

but with your projector example if sure its illegal to do but the people watching the projection havent done anything wrong

[pcchen]

but with your projector example if sure its illegal to do but the people watching the projection havent done anything wrong

Normally the people who watched the projected movie will not be prosecuted. However, this is different from watching movies over the net, because normally it's the watcher who initiated the transaction (tell the server to start streaming the data).