In today's download-heavy environment, there are now entire firms hired to track down illegal downloaders. Many of these site owners have been severely punished for violating copyright laws, with site shutdown, fines, and even prison. Sites that offer streaming and film distribution outside of a VoD or copyright respecting situation are committing a crime. What are the risks of illegally downloading films? Some of the most consulted ones include and Open Culture. However, there are many free, legal sites that offer videos that are made available by the multimedia files' owners for a one-time royalty fee or for a charity donation. One way to access movies and TV shows online is to pay a fee on Video-on-Demand (VoD) host sites. You should beware of sites that do the opposite, as it is likely that they are operating illegally. Legal movie downloading sites possess one of these licenses and are usually fairly open about this fact, as well as about the sources of their content. The creator can give permission for the use of their content, in the form of a license. All creative content is protected by copyright laws in the U.S., which protect the creator's work from being used without their permission.