Downloading lectures from the internet and distributing them for da’wah purposes
Question

                What is the ruling on one who downloads some lectures from the internet then copies them and distributes them to the youth to spread da’wah and so that the benefit will reach more people? Is this regarded as a transgression against the rights of others?.
Praise be to Allah.The basic principle is that webmasters put this material on their websites for 
    people to listen to it and benefit from it. Some provide the means of downloading and recording them, so this is regarded as permission from them 
    to copy them. 
Based on this, there is nothing wrong with downloading these lectures and 
    recording them and distributing them to the youth and others, rather this is a beneficial and righteous deed, because it is calling people to 
    Allaah and cooperating in goodness. The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever calls people to right guidance 
    will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest. And whoever calls people to 
    misguidance will have a burden of sin like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their burden in the slightest.” Narrated by 
    Muslim, 2674, from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah. 
It is not permissible to try to download lectures from sites that do not allow 
    that, because that is transgressing against the rights of others who have written, compiled, invented etc (i.e., copyright); these are rights that 
    are protected, as it says in the statement of the Islamic Fiqh Council issued during its fifth conference held in Kuwait, 1-6 Jumada al-Awwal 1409 
    AH/ 10-15 December 1988 CE: 
Firstly: trade names, company names, trademarks, writings and inventions are all 
    the copyright of their owners or authors, which in modern practice have acquired monetary value. These rights are respected by sharee’ah and it is 
    not permissible to transgress against them. Copyright of authors and inventors is protected in Islam. 
 .... 
Thirdly: the owner of these rights has the right to dispose of them and no one 
    should transgress against them. 
See Questions no 454 
    and 21927. 
And Allaah knows best.