Ari loves sci-fi movies and can’t wait for the newest film in his favorite series to come out on
DVD, so he downloads it from a site his friend told him about. What type of violation did he
commit?
Ari likely committed copyright infringement, which is a type of intellectual property violation. Copyright infringement occurs when someone copies, distributes, or otherwise uses a copyrighted work without the permission from the copyright holder.
By downloading the film from an unauthorized site, Ari is participating in the illegal distribution and acquisition of copyrighted material. The film's copyright holder (typically the studio or the filmmakers) has the exclusive right to distribute and make copies of their work. Unauthorized downloading also potentially deprives the copyright holder of revenue they would earn through lawful sales and distribution of the DVD or digital copies of the film.
It is important to use legal channels to purchase or stream movies to ensure that creators are compensated for their work and to stay within the bounds of the law.