Ever since the CD writer and the DVD writer have been invented, there has been a constant battle with piracy. Many people do not know what can and cannot be copied or duplicated.Losses suffered due to piracy:Piracy has become a very serious issue to the film industry, which has lost billions of pounds each year because of it. Many Hollywood studios are taking action against offenders, saying that they do not want to go the way the music industry went. They say that they want to nip movie piracy in the bud before it grows out of control. Piracy in the music industry is already out of control. Artists and record labels have been fighting a never ending battle to get offenders punished. Some battles have been won, such as in the case of Napster. Napster was an online site where people could download music for free.What is and is not illegal:In truth there is nothing wrong with CD duplication, DVD duplication or CD and DVD copying, if it is used in the right manner. Using CD or DVD writers to back up information which is on your computer is legal. But CD replication and DVD replication of products that are protected by copyright laws is an offence and can be punishable by law. This also goes for duplication of movies and music on a large scale for sale without a permit.