What are some laws about downloading copyrighted movies for free?

It is against the law to download copyrighted for movies for free unless the viewer or the file provider has received authorization from the copyright holder, according to New Media Rights. The law specifically applies to downloading, distributing or intending to distribute such copyrighted material.

That said, the technology that allows users to download such unauthorized movies is not itself illegal, because it could be legally used to download authorized material, reports New Media Rights. Additionally, watching streaming video of material that has been posted illegally is also not against the law. The viewer only breaks the copyright law once any piece of the unauthorized material is downloaded.