Legal forum?

Is it legal to have a forum about Movies where members can talk about movies and share links to watch movies directly or download them.

Is it legal to have a forum about Hacking for beginners. Where members can put tutorials etc.

 

Number 1, no linking to copyrighted content is illegal in most countries.

Number 2, just providing the information isn't always illegal, depends on the country you live in.

 

Even if members just post links from megavideo or videos they upload themselves

 

Yes, in most countries linking to copyrighted content, even if you didn't upload it, is illegal.

 

ya but what if members do it. its not like me personaly the owner of the forum is doing anything.

 

You are providing them with a place whose sole purpose is to share copyrighted content illegally. Unless you are very clear in the TOS that you do not tolerate warez, and you will remove all links to it and ban members that post it you can be held responsible.

 

Ya thats what I was planning to do. Thank you for the help

 

It is not illegal, but you need to be careful in maintaining that forum. It is preferable to talk on the topic in general.

 

If they have good lawyers you may loose a civil suit.

Yes, and you need to have it very clear that the purpose of the site is for testing security of people's own property. Some countries do have laws against distributing that kind of things, Germany does. Distributing anything in Germany which can be used to hack, including information on how to do it, is illegal. Its not illegal in the US to do so. (to my knowledge)

 

hack is ambiguity word, you can put it as a security forum too.

Coz Hacker just mean the person who know the computer(usually networking)system so well. Doesnot have to be a bad thing or person

 

In the first example, it is the linking to infringing content that would be the issue. Just discussions of movies would be perfectly legal. In the US you can be protected from user generated content if you register your business with the copyright office, do not encourage such links on the site, and take them down quickly when requested. If you put in your site description, hey you can talk about movies and post links to download them from, then you get no protection.

The second example is a tricky one. In the US there is the concept of the first amendment, but there is also the DMCA. Under the DMCA:

If the intent of your site is to allow people to post hacking primers one could argue that the site provides a service with the intent to bybass copyright measures put in place for progams. I suppose it would really depend on the types of tutorials that were posted.