Newsgroups...

[3rd gen noob]

i've been a newgroup user for quite some time now, first with my 56k freeserve account and now with my 512k pipex adsl account
my 'question' is simple - how can isp's offer 'free' copyrighted content on their own servers?
is it safe to download content from newsgroups, has anyone ever been charged for doing so?

thanks in advance

[Amarjit]

I do not think that the ISPs enforce the content that is being exchanged on newsgroup servers, but they do have the ability to shut them down, if they feel it is a necessity.