Today there are many websites where you can download and watch movies, series, concerts, music video clips, etc. The ability to download these artistic works for personal use is sometimes free, sometimes paid.
Be careful however, and even if you have to pay to have access to them, these sites are not all legal and do not necessarily respect the obligation in particular to pay royalties to the authors of films, music, etc., made available. , which can put you in the illegality especially if you decide to share them with third parties, with the consequence, as a user, to be prosecuted, even to be condemned.
If you want to have fun by downloading a movie, a series, or even music from the Internet, you must take a few precautions so as not to put yourself in a position of piracy. This is what we call the fact of profiting from an artistic work that escapes the rules of copyright protection, and therefore for which its author or producer is not remunerated. Indeed, in France, illegally downloading an artistic work exposes you to penalties.
It is therefore essential to know how to identify sites that offer to download films, series, music, etc., on the Internet in a legal way. Several clues should put you on the alert concerning unscrupulous sites in terms of the legal protection of artistic works, as advised by the High Authority for the dissemination of works and the protection of rights on the Internet (Hadopi).
Thus, this organization invites you to beware if you are about to download a film or music from a website full of untimely advertisements, also called pop-up , for unknown brands, online games or boutique advertisements. Also be careful if this site does not offer known secure means of payment if it is paid for, or if, for example, films still showing in the cinema are offered.
In the same way, the absence of mention of the personal data processing policy, which is now mandatory, as well as that of legal notices, should draw your attention. It could possibly be a site that offers illegal downloads of artistic works.
In order to help Internet users in their search for film or music download sites that respect authors' rights and intellectual property, Hadopi provides a search engine according to the type of works you wish to download, which indicates the platforms where you can go without fear of going illegal.
The National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) also offers the same service on its site for films only.
A user has the possibility of being sanctioned for illegal downloading of a film, series, music, etc. But this use also exposes you to risks related to your computer security, or even the theft of your personal and banking data. In addition, using unrecognized sites to download artistic works can lead to many problems, from the display of misleading and fraudulent advertisements, to content inappropriate for children and more.
From a legal point of view, anyone who has a subscription to an Internet provider has the obligation to ensure that his connection is not used by himself or by third parties for illegal purposes, including of course downloads music, films, etc., which do not respect the copyright and intellectual property rights in force in France.
If the measures to prevent such use are not taken, and it is noted by the public authorities (through Hadopi) that you make available to other Internet users an illegally downloaded work (which is calls the "peer-to-peer “), you then have the risk of being identified via your connection and your Internet provider. Hadopi then sends you a recommendation email within 2 months of your identification. If you use illegal downloads again within 6 months, you will receive a new email from Hadopi, as well as a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.
In the event of a third detection within the following 12 months, you will receive a notification by post informing you of the legal proceedings to which you may be subject. The Hadopi Rights Protection Commission can also summon you and then decide either to abandon its proceedings, or to send your case to the prosecutor on whom your domicile depends. The latter can then choose whether or not to prosecute you before the police court which will judge you for gross negligence because you have done nothing to prevent the illegal use of artistic works. The penalty incurred can be a fine of up to 1,500 euros or result in a reminder of the law, i.e. a solemn interview with the prosecutor who recalls the obligations provided for by law and the risks incurred in cases of non-compliance with the law on intellectual protection, including registration in the criminal record processing file (Taj) which lists the perpetrators of offences.
