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This issue's ethical dilemma is:<br>
“Downloading from LimeWire. You're not paying, but you're not taking
anything tangible. Is this kosher?”<br>
Technical note - LimeWire is a "P2P" or peer-to-peer networking
service, in which users upload anything - movies, music, games,
software - and can be downloaded, for free, by virtually anyone.<br>
<br>
<p>In my experience whenever I hold a Q&A session with a group of
teens or college students, the question of downloading music, etc., is
one of the first questions that will be raised. Moreover, even boys and
men who in other issues are meticulous in their quest to act <i>lifnim
me'shuras ha'din</i> (beyond the letter of the law), when it comes to
this issue, they very much want to know the minimalist Halachic
position – i.e., how much they can “get away with” and still
technically be within the bounds of Jewish law.</p>
<p>Accordingly, let me begin by stating that from an <i>ethical</i><span
style="font-style: normal;"> perspective, it behooves a </span><i>Be
en Torah</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> who aspires to rise
above mere technical compliance with Halacha, to refrain from any form
of downloading which is questionable. Most of us – although we may deny
this when we are in rationalization mode – know very well when what we
are doing falls into that gray area. If you are still unsure as to the
definition of this category, by all means consult one of your </span><i>Rabbeim</i><span
style="font-style: normal;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-style: normal;">Returning, however, to the
question of the minimalist Halachic position in this area, Rabbi
Yitzchak Yosef </span><i>shlita</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(the son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef </span><i>shlita</i><span
style="font-style: normal;">) refers to the Gemara in </span><i>Bava
Metzia</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (24a-b) that discusses an
object that was swept away by a tidal wave (</span><i>zuto shel yam</i><span
style="font-style: normal;">). In that case, we regard the object as a
lot item whose owner has given up all hope of retrieval (</span><i>l'achar
yei'ush</i><span style="font-style: normal;">). This is the case even
if the owner watching the tidal wave sweep away his possession declares
and affirms that he is not giving up the hope of retrieving his object.
Under the circumstances, his declaration is meaningless, as the hope of
retrieval is regarded as little more than a fantasy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-style: normal;">Any music that is freely and
widely available on the web falls into this category. Any hope that the
owner may have of retaining or retrieving his intellectual property is
futile and meaningless. Hence, one would be permitted to download such
music for personal use.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-style: normal;">Please note that this is not </span><i>carte
blanche</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. This logic will not
permit:</span></p>
<ol>
<li>
<p><span style="font-style: normal;">Uploading music to such sites.</span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-style: normal;">Copying from CDs or DVDs.</span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-style: normal;">Selling the downloaded music
to others or sharing it with people who cannot access it themselves
over the Internet.</span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-style: normal;">Downloading music from hacking
sites.</span></p>
</li>
</ol>
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--<br>
Posted By YGB to <a
href="http://rygb.blogspot.com/2008/11/downloading-essay-for-mta-academy-news.html">YGB
- יג"ב</a> at 11/21/2008 03:56:00 P<br>
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