Online piracy

Online piracy, also known as internet piracy, is downloading and distributing copyrighted materials without having permission. The content includes software, music and movies. Internet piracy is illegal in many developed countries. However, it is widely practised due to the ease with which it can be done.
The release of Napster in 1999 caused a rapid boom in the online piracy of movies, television and music. It always had a focus on music in the .MP3 format.
Napster permitted users to share content with peer-to-peer file sharing. It was one of the first mainstream uses of the distribution method. It was made easy for the regular users to get free music. The popular use of Napster was short lived, though. On July 27, 2000, it was ordered shut down by a federal judge. The following year, Napster was shut down.