Thinking about using the Internet to get the latest Hollywood blockbuster movie for free? Perhaps you'd like to find out how it's done since you've heard that lots of people are doing this? Maybe you are already practiced at this and want to build up your bootleg collection. You may want to reconsider your actions whether you're already doing it or not. A lot of the movies to be had for free are considered pirated material and were uploaded illegally. Whenever you download these movies, you're breaking the law and if caught, may in theory be prosecuted.

Law enforcement as well as organizations such as the MPAA are fighting the increase in illegal downloads with great vigor. Those who download proprietary movies are exposing themselves to the possibility of legal prosecution. Though this can easily change with time, the odds of not getting caught are still in your favor.

You may get viruses, pornography, and spy ware ... more than you bargained for with an illegal download. People have suffered from identity theft and have had inexplicable withdrawals made from their bank accounts. If you're using file sharing networks such as peer-to-peer (p2p) this is especially true.

On p2p networks, getting a file full of advertisements instead of your movie can occur quite frequently. Before you can get access to the actual movie download they might require that you jump through a variety of hoops. This may involve subscribing with your email address to endless advertising promotions.

The war against piracy of copyrighted material has been stepped up by the film and music industries. Anti-piracy measures such as criminal prosecution and loss of Internet access may become the norm as the Internet wild west days come to a close. A good deal of progress has been made in p2p anti-piracy enforcement in Europe.

Online movie memberships don't deal in pirated movies and provide security from worms, viruses, mal ware and spy ware. By contrast, you're playing a game of Russian roulette when downloading movies from 'free' sites. When you download unknown media players or engage in file sharing, you never know what sort nasty surprise is in store for you.

In order to furnish movies and films for legal download by their customers, the legitimate on line download memberships are cooperating with the major studios. The hazards that accompany illegal movie downloads can be avoided and some peace of mind can be attained. Preserve the integrity of your bank account, your computer and your privacy by taking advantage of legal movie download memberships.