Your point is well taken Jack, it is illegal because of the present state of the law. The law could easily be changed. Not everything that is illegal should be so. Case in point just last Friday after all.
However, no one signed a contract or agreed that they have to watch commercials when they watch tv. I don't know about you, I normally change the channel or leave the room. Does that mean I am breaking the law? To my knowledge there is no such law that says so. However there are laws about copyright violation, and also, about walking into a store and stealing a cd.
A lot of laws haven't caught up to technology and copyright is a huge problem area.
I think that the laws need to be changed and/or made more clear in the file trading area and, as I already suggested, that the companies need to embrace this situation somehow, instead of alienating more and more potential customers.
And on a sad note, Katherine Hepburn has died.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movi...bit/index.html
