Is it wrong to copy movies or music from someone else?

Copying movies or music is stealing.

It might not seem like a big deal to copy a movie or a song someone else owns. You might have a computer that will even take movies or CDs from the library and “burn” it to your own disc. But when you do this, you’re stealing the movies or music from the people who created them in the first place.

Movie and music companies make movies and music to be sold in theaters, in stores, and online. This is the way they make a living—creating movies or music is their job. When you copy those things instead of paying for them, you’re taking away money the creators should have earned.

Since they didn’t have movies or recorded music in Bible times, God’s Word doesn’t say anything about copying those things. But it does talk about stealing! The Bible says, "Do not steal" (Exodus 20:15).

Did you know that stealing movies and music is against the law too? God tells us that we need to obey our government: "All of you must be willing to obey completely those who rule over you. There are no authorities except the ones God has chosen....So when you oppose the authorities, you are opposing those whom God has appointed" (Romans 13:1–2a).

When you want to own a new movie or song, be sure you pay for it!