Is file sharing illegal?
File sharing is not illegal if it involves sharing your own files. You can share photos from your last holiday with your friends and family, but uploading and downloading music and films without prior permission from the rights holder is illegal in most countries in Europe and in most other countries in the world. Where the boundaries are between legal and illegal file sharing must, however, be determined by the copyright law of each individual state – even in the EU. There are, for example, differences between copyright law in France and the UK that allow for the exchange of files in France that are not permitted in the UK. As a rule of thumb, however, consider file sharing of music and films illegal. The reference to film and music in this case is made because most questions arise on the legality of the sharing of these types of files.
