IndieSinger and Robber 1 are absolutely right. If I download a fake, I always delete it straightaway, but a lot of peole just leave them, making it look like it's a good file because so many users have it. Check the duration of the track you're downloading to see if it looks abnormally long or short. If you know it's only a 4 minute song but the duration is 7 minutes, and it's not a remix, it might be a fake. Most real files, but not all, will have track numbers at the beginning, which tends to mean they've been burned from a cd, rather than fakes put out by record companies. I also try to look for good quality files that just 2 or 3 users have, as they tend to be real (I realise not everyone has broadband though, so that may be too slow for some). All the WMA's I've downloaded have been real, if you don't necessarily need MP3's. Lastly, most of my fakes have had file names that are perfectly written out, for instance, I would go for '03 time is running out.mp3' rather than 'Time Is Running Out - Muse.mp3. These are just little tricks that have worked for me and might work for others. God I've rambled....