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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Intent versus action	Matthew	Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Question: Brother, Last night i downloaded some Christian worship music that i payed for from iTunes. My goal was to transfer it to my MP3 player. When the download was complete i realized that the song files were in a protected format and couldn't be transferred to my player. I then proceeded to look for a program that would decode the protection seal on them so that they could be put on the player. I never found a way to do it but my intent was to alter the protected files. My question is...even though I payed for these song files was it a sin to want to remove the protection on them so that i could put them on my player? Was my actual INTENT a sin even though it didn't work in the end? Thanks Brother.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Matthew: You can probably download the music onto an iPod. iTunes and iPod go hand in hand and it will download purchased music. The iPod works that if you try to download from another computer from the one that you purchased the music it will erase everything already on the iPod and download whatever is on the iTunes on the new computer. And if you delete the purchased music from your iTunes, it will erase it from the iPod the next time you sync. So, it maintains the license of the purchase. As for trying to break the protection code to download the music somewhere else, that is technically illegal and thus it is a sin to do so (venial or mortal depends on the circumstances). We are obligated to follow the law unless that law violates Divine Law or Natural Law. The mere thought of violating the copyright is not itself a sin. However, you did more than think about it, you apparently looked for a way to do it, and ended up not doing it only because you could not find the software. This is more the intention of thought, but an intention in which you acted out and were stopped only by happenstance. Since you did not actually violate the copyright, you did not break the law, and did not sin in that regard. Whether or not you sinned by your intention and action to find code breaking software is something you will have to ask yourself. This is a matter for your conscience. If your conscience informs you that you have sinned, I believe this would be a venial sin. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Intent versus action

Matthew

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Question:

Brother,

Last night i downloaded some Christian worship music that i payed for from iTunes. My goal was to transfer it to my MP3 player. When the download was complete i realized that the song files were in a protected format and couldn't be transferred to my player. I then proceeded to look for a program that would decode the protection seal on them so that they could be put on the player. I never found a way to do it but my intent was to alter the protected files.

My question is...even though I payed for these song files was it a sin to want to remove the protection on them so that i could put them on my player? Was my actual INTENT a sin even though it didn't work in the end? Thanks Brother.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Matthew:

You can probably download the music onto an iPod. iTunes and iPod go hand in hand and it will download purchased music. The iPod works that if you try to download from another computer from the one that you purchased the music it will erase everything already on the iPod and download whatever is on the iTunes on the new computer. And if you delete the purchased music from your iTunes, it will erase it from the iPod the next time you sync. So, it maintains the license of the purchase.

As for trying to break the protection code to download the music somewhere else, that is technically illegal and thus it is a sin to do so (venial or mortal depends on the circumstances). We are obligated to follow the law unless that law violates Divine Law or Natural Law.

The mere thought of violating the copyright is not itself a sin. However, you did more than think about it, you apparently looked for a way to do it, and ended up not doing it only because you could not find the software. This is more the intention of thought, but an intention in which you acted out and were stopped only by happenstance.

Since you did not actually violate the copyright, you did not break the law, and did not sin in that regard. Whether or not you sinned by your intention and action to find code breaking software is something you will have to ask yourself. This is a matter for your conscience.

If your conscience informs you that you have sinned, I believe this would be a venial sin.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum