What is the chance that someone will be caught downloading illegal music, etc?

Question

If a normal person downloads some songs and movies off somewhere like Limewire, or a torrent, how much risk are they running to being caught and fined/jailed? Is it a high chance? Or is it more of a threat to people who download a LOT of things?

Answer 1

The amount of media you download in a time frame as well as the length of time are all factors. The person who uploads is more liable to punishment because that is a source. However may not realize this but while and just as well as after you download something, the programs are set to share (seed) which means you are as well a source.

Answer 2

Copyright infringement is technically a crime, but media lawyers groups like the RIAA/MPAA treat it as a civil matter and the worst that can happen to you for uploading copyrighted materials online is you get sued for a certain amount and you may lose your internet account as well. However, there really is no way anybody can catch you downloading anything, as only the server belonging to the pirate providing the infringing materials can see your IP address. Only the person uploading a file on a P2P network has his IP address publicly visible. Keep in mind, though, that  some P2P networks (like eDonkey) are designed to automatically share anything while you're downloading it, and thus you may become a server without knowing it. Some programs are also automaticaly set to share any torrents or partially downloaded files, so you'll need to go into the serttings and turn that option off.