Therefore, to be able to use copyrighted material in order to inform the public is defended as a "fair use" of such content. Under the law of fair use, people can quote copyrighted work without permission or payment in some circumstances, when broadly speaking, the social benefit is larger than individual owners' loss (887). Yet not only do news media outlets strengthen our understandings of our national and global societies, but so do products of entertainment. It is these creative cultural products such as television shows, music and films that are the main concern for policy makers attempting to target piracy, as 'the less creative and more factual a work, the greater the chance of a finding of fair use of the work' (Cummings, Gunnells, 1287). .
It is in these realms of television, film and music that copyright laws are far more restrictive, yet there are many ethical reasons to argue why people would breach copyright. Many people download or stream television shows or films before they are aired in their own nations, but have already done so in the United States. In 2008, a blogger wrote that 'it can take up to six months after the US premiere before these shows are aired in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world' (Ernesto). Although this delay has lessened in recent years it can still be a substantial amount of time; enough for viewers to seek streaming and torrenting sites. This desire should not be viewed as selfish, or a malicious disregard to the efforts of the creators involved in making a product. Researchers focusing on viewers of television have found that 'the more an individual deems a program as potent at contributing to stronger social connections, the more one would watch the program when it is freshly released' (Xu and Yan, 191). The decision to stream or download is a way of feeling connected with others during the viewing experience.
