Are MP3s Illegal?

This question has been wondered upon by millions of Internet users across the world, is all of this legal or not. Well there isn’t exactly an answer because it is both legal and illegal. It is not illegal to copy a CD that you have purchased as long as the MP3 is intended for personal use. It is however illegal to sell, trade or send MP3s to other people without the consent of the copyright holder. Just as it is illegal to pirate software it is also illegal to pirate music. Doing so may severely affect the Canadian and American music industry. Encoding and uploading MP3 files is illegal and you can get severe penalties for copyright infringement. Linking to MP3 files on remote servers although you didn’t make or own them is also considered illegal. The Recording Industry is shutting down servers, IRC channels and other ways used to provide MP3 files. When someone doesn’t want to cooperate, the RIAA doesn’t hesitate to use extreme force to make you take down your archives. So be aware of what you do…