In Canada it is NOT illegal to download pirated material. It is obviously illegal to upload/share pirated material.

But apparently, we've gone a step further now. I don't use this sites like Limewire and Piratebay....but apparently if you download a file it can then be downloaded from you by other users. In this sense, you are unwittingly 'sharing' the file and have now committed an illegal act.

So Canada has set a new precedent in regards to this:

"The mere fact of placing a copy on a shared directory in a computer where that copy can be accessed via a P2P service does not amount to distribution. Before it constitutes distribution, there must be a positive act by the owner of the shared directory, such as sending out the copies or advertising that they are available for copying."

So you're not even guilty of copywrite infringement if people are copying illegal files from you without a clear 'EFFORT' made by you to distribute material. That means Joe Blow at home who only downloads files from Limewire is not guilty of anything illegal in Canada.