Is it Legal to Put Viruses in Files for Download by Copyright Pirates

Suppose the following:

1. Company XYZ is a film producer. XYZ and other companies in the film industry have been experiencing problems with IP theft. Namely, their films appear on peer-to-peer downloading sites, such as Pirate Bay.

2. XYZ publishes a new film. Subsequently, pirated copies of this film appear online.

3. In order to deter people from downloading pirated copies of its movies from the internet, XYZ, while posing as a common internet-pirate, posts its own version of the film on Pirate Bay. This version the film is embedded with a virus that slows down users' computers. Are these types of actions illegal?

Your feedback will be much appreciated. I'm just pondering about business ideas.

Yes.

Quote:

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Quoting curiousgeorge1

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Suppose the following:

1. Company XYZ is a film producer. XYZ and other companies in the film industry have been experiencing problems with IP theft. Namely, their films appear on peer-to-peer downloading sites, such as Pirate Bay.

2. XYZ publishes a new film. Subsequently, pirated copies of this film appear online.

3. In order to deter people from downloading pirated copies of its movies from the internet, XYZ, while posing as a common internet-pirate, posts its own version of the film on Pirate Bay. This version the film is embedded with a virus that slows down users' computers. Are these types of actions illegal?

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Yes.

It's a crime.

What XYZ company should be doing is using software that tracks the IP address or user of the film and report the suspect to the proper authorities.