Can you get in legal trouble for....

17 replies
Hello to all,
I was wondering if you can get in trouble for offering an illegal method in an ebook.

For instance,if I wrote a book on how to obtain country music cheap or free,and I list several sources to download the music illegally,can I get in trouble for it?
If that person gets in trouble,can I get in trouble as well?

My gut says no,since I have seen illegal suggestions in books several times,and since I am not directly doing it myself,but I am just making sure.

If I am not able to get in trouble for it,do I have to write a warning that says it is the users responsibility if he/she decides to use this method ?
I have seen warnings like this in several ebooks and I am not sure that the author writes it up themselves or if there is a certain place to obtain the warning?, much like the copyright notice.

Thanks in advance.
#legal #trouble
  • Profile picture of the author Diana Lane
    I think incitement to break the law is an offence in wherever you are. Even if it wasn't, teaching people to steal is skanky in any language. Charging the gullible for the privilege, well... there aren't the words. Printable ones, anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Cabral
    Hum let me see if I have this right; you wrote an ebook on how to get music for free and point to illegal sites. So basically you are showing people how to steal.. I would say if teh music industry found out your butt will be in a sling.... and when you get caught your butt may end up somewhere else that you may not like :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author Jagged
      Originally Posted by DogScout View Post

      It is illegal in the US

      (but then so is everything)

      But yet doctors can write books on "how to assist in suicide" guides & get away with it....go figure.
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      • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
        This really, really depends on too many factors for a layman to give you a useful answer. How you present it, what sort of disclaimers you use, the sales/cover copy, and probably others that are escaping me at the moment.

        Ultimately, it probably depends on who sues, how good your lawyer is, and which judge catches the case.

        Ethically, you're screwed if you do it. A bunch of people have probably already decided that you're someone to avoid. The theory is simple: If he'll steal from someone else, what's to keep him from stealing from us?

        Teaching multiple people to steal is worse than just doing it yourself.

        Legally? Talk to a lawyer. And make sure it's one who knows IP law.


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    • Profile picture of the author scrofford
      Originally Posted by DogScout View Post

      It is illegal in the US

      (but then so is everything)
      LOL so very true!
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    Yeah, it's illegal.

    I have a client of mine who ran a forum... He didn't encourage it, but people discussed music piracy, things along those lines.

    Last I heard he was in some hot water over it.

    -Scott
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  • Profile picture of the author Money_bags
    Thanks for the replies...
    For the record,I am not writing an ebook on stealing music, as I dont think anyone needs help doing that.Realistictly,if you type the name of any song or album in google, usually free mp3's(albeit probably illegal) comes up.

    I mainly ask because I read a book called "1001 things to do if you dare" and not only are 95% of the 1001 things pretty dangerous,but many are illegal.So I was trying to find out,when you recommend things of this nature(both dangerous and/or illegal), what are the legal consequences.

    Downloading illegal music was about the least harshest illegal activity I could think of.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Money_bags View Post

      Thanks for the replies...
      For the record,I am not writing an ebook on stealing music, as I dont think anyone needs help doing that.Realistictly,if you type the name of any song or album in google, usually free mp3's(albeit probably illegal) comes up.

      I mainly ask because I read a book called "1001 things to do if you dare" and not only are 95% of the 1001 things pretty dangerous,but many are illegal.So I was trying to find out,when you recommend things of this nature(both dangerous and/or illegal), what are the legal consequences.

      Downloading illegal music was about the least harshest illegal activity I could think of.
      Here's another layman's view, based on reading the news a few years ago when Napster got into hot water, and so did many of its users...

      With the proper disclaimers, etc., as Paul describes, you might avoid jail time. Without them, it's called "conspiring to commit a crime" or possibly "aiding and abetting."

      If you see any level of success selling such a book, you could very likely end up owing your kids' inheritance to groups like ASCAP, their lawyers, your lawyers or, most likely, all of the above.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Well, one RUSSIAN once wrote a program to read Adobe files! When he came to the US, he was thrown in jail! Dimitry Sklyarov: Enemy or friend? | Tech News on ZDNet

    Then again, when I was a kid, someone wrote a book that basically told how to be a terrorist. I checked yesterday and, though copyrighted and they DO say it may be shortlived, some provide it for FREE! Amazon offers a new 2002 version for about $20!

    So WHO KNOWS?

    TECHNICALLY you are suborning theft. Although I think theft is low enough that it isn't actually illegal, some may use other rules, etc... to get by it. Look at Dimitry! He didn't really break ANY laws! At MOST, he spoke of things that required "reverse engineering", which was a breach of contract, but he may not even have been a party to that contract. It was a standard technique, so THAT wasn't illegal. It was a program to read files, which is not illegal. But the chance that it could be used to break protection to breach a copyright caused some to be upset, and he showed a problem with Adobe, which upset them.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I'm not sure of the answer because I have watched numerous "true crime" shows where the criminals had in their possession, books on how to hire a hit man, how to be a hit man, how to make a bomb, etc. One of the publishers of ... I think ... a hit man book was sued and won the case due to freedom of speech.

    That being said, I agree with Paul that it could depend on who sues you, how good your lawyer is and who the judge is.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      I'm not sure of the answer because I have watched numerous "true crime" shows where the criminals had in their possession, books on how to hire a hit man, how to be a hit man, how to make a bomb, etc. One of the publishers of ... I think ... a hit man book was sued and won the case due to freedom of speech.

      ...
      I forgot about that! There IS one company I know of that seems to do NOTHING but sell prank/terrorist/evasion/pursuit books! They have been in business for at least a couple decades. They have books on making explosives, getting enemies in trouble, creating your own foreign bank, hiding, getting your own country, doing steakouts(complete with covert communications), etc.... Most of the stuff is illegal, used for illegal acts, or just BARELY legal.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        steakouts
        Gotcha Steve - around here we call that a barbecue....

        The law is a funny thing. It may (or may not) be OK to tell people how to hire a hitman, how to build a bomb or how to steal online....but it's against the law to build the bomb, hire the hitman or steal.

        And when the guy under arrest points to you as "he taught me how"....the hot water starts rising.

        kay
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        • Profile picture of the author seasoned
          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          Gotcha Steve - around here we call that a barbecue....

          The law is a funny thing. It may (or may not) be OK to tell people how to hire a hitman, how to build a bomb or how to steal online....but it's against the law to build the bomb, hire the hitman or steal.

          And when the guy under arrest points to you as "he taught me how"....the hot water starts rising.

          kay
          SORRY! Stakeout is slang for waiting for a person, in a pursuit, or watching where they are at. I know YOU probably know that, but others may not.

          And YEAH! Advocating theft is apparently NOT illegal, rewarding a person for it IS! Advocating murder is NOT illegal, rewarding a person for it, or it having a clear and quick likelyhood of being followed IS(see clear and present danger doctrine... Clear and present danger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Advocating perjury is illegal.

          Frankly, it is better to just stay away from it.

          So yeah, things can get pretty involved.

          Steve
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          • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
            Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

            SORRY! Stakeout is slang for waiting for a person, in a pursuit, or watching where they are at. I know YOU probably know that, but others may not.

            Steve
            Steve, I think Kay may have been pulling your leg a little...

            Check the typo on the post she was commenting on - "steakout" rather than "stakeout"...
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            • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
              Steve,
              Then again, when I was a kid, someone wrote a book that basically told how to be a terrorist.
              Precisely the example I was thinking of... "The Anarchist's Cookbook." Crude, by today's standards, but still some pretty lethal stuff in there.

              "Advocating murder" is called incitement to violence, and is certainly illegal under certain circumstances. Advocating perjury is not always illegal as a general activity (say, in generic protest documents), but subornation of perjury definitely is. That's not a line I'd want to tinker with, personally.


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