# Getting sued for downloading music: How far back? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801 "2003-09-15T20:28:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/1 "2003-09-15T20:28:18Z")
How far back are they looking in their lawsuites? My kid downloaded a bunch of music on Kazaa about 8 months ago, but when I found them I deleated all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/2 "2003-09-15T20:38:40Z")
They’re not really going after people downloading songs right now, AFAIK. I believe they’re only going after people who are actively sharing songs, and people who are sharing _alot_, at that. ---
**Author:** ![larsenmtl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@larsenmtl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larsenmtl)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/3 "2003-09-15T20:42:29Z")
Your safe. The RIAA is interested in people hosting music files (letting people download off their machine). If Kazaa hasn’t been up and running and people haven’t been downloading from you recently, you have nothing to worry about. And besides, at the peak something like 60 million people used file sharing applications. With those odds, I’d be more worried about getting struck by lightening. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/4 "2003-09-15T21:02:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anamorphic \* > **They’re not really going after people downloading songs right now, AFAIK. I believe they’re only going after people who are actively sharing songs** But wait a minute. I thought once a person downloaded a song, that song was also being shared off their computer automatically. I know if you clicked on the song (after download) there was an option to click on that said “stop sharing”. So if he downloaded a song and didn’t click that option, doesn’t that mean he was also sharing that song? ---
**Author:** ![larsenmtl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@larsenmtl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larsenmtl)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/5 "2003-09-15T21:59:20Z")
Possibly if you were logged onto the internet and had Kazaa running. Most peer to peer applications work by sharing what’s in a certain folder (a folder you specify or one that’s created by default). Your kid’s downloads probably automatically went into that folder and then were shared. But again you’re probably safe if Kazaa isn’t left on all the time and if it wasn’t tons of files. And before anyone calls me out, above I meant “You’re”. Gotta proof-read. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/6 "2003-09-15T22:06:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by larsenmtl \* > \*\*But again you’re probably safe if Kazaa isn’t left on all the time and if it wasn’t tons of files. > \*\* Alright. Forgive my ignorance, but what do you mean by “left on all the time?” ---
**Author:** ![AoErat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@AoErat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AoErat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/7 "2003-09-15T22:10:01Z")
If the program was constantly running, whenever you had the computer on. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/8 "2003-09-15T22:18:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AoErat \* > \*\*If the program was constantly running, whenever you had the computer on. \*\* How would I have known? The icon was on our desk top. When the icon was on the lower toolbar I would click “close Kazaa”. Would that turn it off? We have a cable modem. Doesn’t that allow them to download off it anytime?😕 ---
**Author:** ![larsenmtl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@larsenmtl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larsenmtl)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/9 "2003-09-15T23:02:13Z")
If the icon was on the right-hand side of your task bar (your system tray) then yes the program was running. But seriously you don’t have much to worry about. The odds of you being sued are seriously small especially since you have now stopped sharing music. The RIAA is trying to scare people and they are obviously succeeding. They are a horrible, horrible organization that got burned by there own practices. But that’s a whole different thread. If you are really this concerned you can always take them up on there “clean slate program” offer. Details are here: [http://www.riaa.com/](http://www.riaa.com/) ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-sued-for-downloading-music-how-far-back/201801/10 "2003-09-16T00:56:46Z")
Umm…I’d stay far away from that “Clean Slate” offer. I don’t recall all the details since the RIAA site isn’t responding right now (ooh ooh I hope they got DOS’ed) but basically you’ll be admitting a crime AND giving them your personal info, which of course they’re free to use in case you ever feel like sharing an mp3 with someone else again. And they don’t even need to subpoena your ISP! (BTW, the title made me think this Q was about “how long ago” did downloading music start, and I was planning to say something like, “Well, remember the early 90’s when it took two days to download a thirty-second soundclip on a 1200 baud modem…?”)