Legality of Internet file-sharing networks

Can I or can't I? Although file-sharing networks are used by millions of people around the world, hardly anyone knows a definite answer to this question. And indeed, the legal assessment of file sharing is extremely diverse and controversial. This book deals with the problem of Internet file sharing from a legal perspective. In doing so, the conflict of interests between the industry and file-sharing users is the focus of the research. On the one hand, the music industry is struggling with huge revenue losses, while on the other hand, Austrian as well as German copyright law grants freedom to reproduce other people's works free of charge. The core of the question is whether the use of free file-sharing networks is legal or whether one has to fear legal consequences (of a civil and criminal nature) as a result of uploading or downloading. The book is based on the.