I was wondering whether watching a video that was uploaded without permission from the copyright holder was illegal. Also...


1. Which country’s laws apply if a lawsuit were to arise? For example, if a person in Country A accessed content owned by a company in Country B using software from Country C, which country would the person be legally liable to, in case of a lawsuit?
2. Does it make a difference whether the site is legal or illegal? It seems reasonable to expect pirated content on an illegal site, but on a site like YouTube, it would be difficult for users to know whether the copyright holder is okay with the file being uploaded.
3. YouTube actually runs on a download system, storing the file in the browser cache. How would that affect legal complications?
4. What is the expected maximum penalty for streaming privately? I read that it was $750 per clip, but I am not sure if this is correct.
5. How much of a video clip could be considered Fair Use, approximately? Clearly, taking a few minutes of a movie is generally considered Fair Use, but a full movie being uploaded is probably not. Where is the threshold approximately?



How do various factors affect the legality of streaming?