watching streamed is illegal just like pirating right?

[Some_weirdGuy]

well, I just stumbled upon the funimation website, and found that it has a large anime library of full episodes(infact, whole series') available to watch via streaming.

For any who dont know, funimation is the company who dubs and has the legal rights to these anime series'.
So, if they're hosting them for free over streaming, does that mean that for any video or series hosted there its 'open season'? That you would be legal to watch these series streamed?

What about furthering this train of thought. Is it only legal to watch it on their site, or does this mean any series there could be watched via stream anywhere and its not illegal? (I say watched via stream instead of straight downloaded cause i assume that although they have it there to watch, they still want you to acctually buy the series if you want it to keep like that).

(( btw, link is here:
http://www.funimation.com/
I haven't actually tried watching any of the videos yet(busy doing other stuff today), so there may well be a catch like you can only watch x number of videos or watch for x amount of time, or you have to sign in which requires some fee, or any number of other such catches, but a quick look around didn't find any mention of anything like that. Here's hoping tomorrow i'll be enjoying some free streamed anime from a nice legal source ))

 

[Craorach]

They have t he legal right they can do as they wish.

You can go out into the street and give random people hundred dollar notes from your own money.. however, that doesn't make someone stealing your wallet any less illegal.

 

[Liudeius]

It's only illegal to stream pirated videos (streaming is just as much pirating as straight downloading).

Stuff like Hulu, Netflix, and your Funimation website (as long as it's actually owned by Funimation) are perfectly legal.

 

[Eri]

Well, from a technical standpoint, it's not illegal to view them. No one has ever been indicted or charged for watching uploads online.

From a moral standpoint, maybe.

 

[SillyBear]

As far as I'm aware, no one has ever been criminally charged for streaming uploads.

 

[Ajera]

Hmm, I guess this is part of why congress decided to attack "unauthorized" streaming. (Or was that live streaming?) Based on Merriam-Webster dictionary: "Rob or plunder (a ship)


Use or reproduce (another's work) for profit without permission, usually in contravention of patent or copyright"

So in essence you are "using" it, which I suppose it technically pirating. But that's a little out there. (This only being if the source of the materiel did not come at the companies consent.)

 

[standokan]

I thought it was the uploader or streamer that got the punishment, this kinda changes things.

 

[Bobbovski]

It's not illegal to watch them, at least not in my country, it's only illegal to upload it.

 

[Wollen]

In Denmark , and i suspect in other euro nations, watching a stream will never get you legally fined since it is impossible to prove who watched the stream. You may however receive threatening letters from your local anti-piracy organisation demanding that you pay them something like 1000dkr/ 200eur, which you don't have to pay by the way.

 

[Gigano]

It would not be legal for anyone else than the one who has the rights to the shows to stream them. It generates traffic to their site, and they can take it off the air whenever they want to; neither would be possible if there was "open season" on programs being streamed for free.

In theory it is also illegal in some jurisdictions to watch an illegally streamed program (partial copies being stored in the cache and such). For practical purposes such regulation is pretty much unenforceable though.

 

[Griffolion]

Not sure about UK law, though I remember my friend telling me you're okay to stream so long as the content is not kept on the hard drive since with streaming you can't prove you actually watched the content in that period of streaming. Keeping a pirated film on your hard drive implies you can and will inevitably do something illegal with it (like watch or re-upload).

Though it would be good to get clarification from someone in the know about this.

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

I'm not worried about being arrested or anything like that for watching streamed videos, I know that wouldn't happen. I'm thinking more from the moral stand point. Its illegal to pirate/watch them normally, but considering the official source has them 'up for grabs', is it still illegal?

I guess its kinda a question of 'can you really steal something thats being given away to you for free?'
(I could probably find an answer by scouring the site and see if i can find any legal disclaimers about being allowed to redistribute videos on their site. If it says you can then that would indicate that they're legal to watch anywhere(though not for profit i should think), but if it says no then that would indicate that its a restricted privilege for their site alone.)