Ask HN: Is it safe to download movies via BitTorrent in the USA?

I wanted to know this. Also, how about streaming websites like stagevu.com ?

The risk is nonzero, but it's hard to tell what level of risk you will find to be reasonable.

Data point: http://unitedtechguys.com/2011/06/10/50000-people-sued-for-d...

Anecdote: at least 1% of the people I went to college with were sent "piracy letters" by the school's ISP while attending school.

Edit: data point from Hn in the last hour: http://imgur.com/vsnmm

If I was in the US, I'd use a VPN like IPREDator. According to TF, more than 200000 people were sued since 2010 for movie sharing.

If you are asking this question, then probably no.

From practical point of view: if your interest in video entertainment is quite mainstream, then while being in US it's actually cheaper in all aspects to carry Netflix or other video rental subscription than download something protected by RIAA. If you have non-mainstream interest, then I'd think, the risk of being caught is lower, since chances are RIAA won't care about some obscure movies.

I don't think it is so much that the work has no value in their mind, but rather the whole system is held up by legal contortions, manipulation, abuse and corruption via purchased legal protection in the form of legislation. The cost of this victimization to both the artist and the consumer is then passed on to the consumer and only a fraction is shared with the artist.

To be clear people that argue for downloading non-purchased copyrighted work being morally right, are basically arguing that two wrongs make a right. I don't personally align with that view point. I do align with the view point that the work is protected by a system of victimization to both the artist and the consumer and that society as a whole would be better off without those leaches.