Last month, the Australian Federal Court found that ISPs are not responsible for the downloading behaviour of their clients. This finding was celebrated by many internet users as a win for users rights.

Depending on your broadband speed, it can be quite easy for you to get a host of movies, music and computer programs for free. You can use broadband internet access to find and download all the latest music and movies you can find, and a huge percentage of what is released will be freely available. But what kind of moral issues does this bring up? Even if your broadband speed means you can download movies faster than you can watch them, is this something you should be doing?

The word “torrent” refers to a small file, which is downloaded, and then used to download a large file from other users, such as a movie or music album. Depending on your broadband speed, you can download a whole movie and a number of albums over the course of a night.

In the earlier days of the internet, the music sharing program Napster received a lawsuit from a number of recording companies, as well as the band Metallica. Now, with the increase in broadband internet, it’s easy to download much larger files, including computer games and software. The increased broadband speed means it’s getting harder and harder for lawmakers to keep up.

While the Australian Federal Court found that ISPs were not responsible, this is a far cry from them acknowledging that using torrents is justifiable. While it’s debatable how much of an impact illegal downloading has on the industry, there can be no doubt that those using broadband internet to share illegal files are causing a significant amount of monetary damage to various industries.

One of the major issues with illegal downloading is that virtually everyone who has broadband internet is partaking in downloading items. When a fast broadband speed means you can download your favourite films quickly and easily, it’s no wonder such a large percentage of the population is taking part in this activity. While it may be technically illegal, there can be no doubt that it is currently seen as culturally acceptable.

Despite this recent decision, the group AFACT, representing thirty-four film and music studios, has vowed to appeal and continue the fight against illegal downloading. It’s worth noting here, that while AFACT represents studios, it does not represent the artists involved. Many of these artists use torrents themselves, and believe those taking advantage of broadband speeds to download illegally are increasing the popularity of their work.

This issue will be around for a much longer period of time. So long as wealthy executives are losing profits due to broadband internet, they will continue to use their power and capital to fight against it. If you’re currently downloading music, movies or software, it’s probably worth taking advantage of your current broadband speed to get as much as you can, because the party won’t last for much longer!