is downloading music from limewire legal or illegal

MP3's can be legally owned providing the following you encode songs off of your own CD's and keep them for yourself, obtain written permission from the copyright holder of the music, or the music is available with the copyright owners consent. It is Illegal to encode MP3 files and share them with any other entity unless you have written permission of the copyright holder of the music. It is also Illegal to download any songs or music off of the Internet for CD's you do not have in your own possession and rightfully own or have no copyright holders consent.