There is a wide choice of legal sites where you can download or 'stream' (transmit over the internet) music, film or TV content. Some are stores where you buy downloaded tracks, albums, TV shows, videos or films to play on a computer, a portable device or on a music player. Others charge a monthly subscription fee and let you stream from an internet connected device at any time. Some services provide entertainment for free, supported by advertising.

If you're looking for music, there are more than 60 services now available in the UK offering millions of tracks at great prices. Look out for the Music Matters trust mark which indicates that a site is legal and you are buying legitimate music there. A full list of these services can be found at www.whymusicmatters.org. Another useful site is www.pro-music.org which provides links to hundreds of legal music sites worldwide.

If you're looking for film, www.findanyfilm.com is a great place to start. You can search for many of your favourite films, selecting the format you'd like to watch them in, from DVDs and Blu-rays to internet services. There's also a comprehensive list of links to legal film and TV services at www.industrytrust.co.uk.

Is it OK to copy or rip music, film, TV programmes or videos from a CD or DVD to my computer or media player?

For music, making a digital copy of a CD you own for your personal use can generally be done without legal consequences even though technically it requires permission from the rights owners. However, distributing a digital copy on the internet or to a friend is different, and may result in legal action. For music purchased online, legal music download services generally allow you to make a copy as a backup for your own use on other devices.

For film it is a bit more complicated. To ensure those involved in making the film (from the actors and directors to the sound engineers, costume designers and investors) can be properly paid there is extra protection on DVDs which makes it difficult for people to copy or rip films. The film and TV industry does recognise that people may want to save films they have bought to different devices and is working to try and make this possible. An increasing number of DVDs and Blu-ray discs now carry a digital copy for you to watch on a portable device.

Is it legal to make a copy of streamed music or film?

Usually, it isn't. Legal streaming services like Spotify and YouTube give instant access to tracks, films and videos, often for free, but they do not usually allow you to 'rip' the content to make a permanent copy.