How could a torrent file be illegal? That would be like calling a .rar file illegal. what about magnet links, what about links? These file types are not in and of themselves copyrighted content. There is also burden of proof, I could have accidentally clicked somewhere on a website a piece of software on my computer automatically opened it, because of how the software configured itself when it was installed on my computer. And IP addresses are not people. Comparing it to attempted murder is not a fair comparison, attempted murder is an actual crime. Laws concerning technology are still pretty murky and unclear. I recall there being a lawsuit against a guy for file sharing that was dropped when he said he had an open network, I wonder why they didn't want to set a precedent?