Is the notice I received from my ISP a legal document?

Your Internet Services Provider has directed the Notification of Claimed Infringement to you on behalf of the Copyright Agent who represents the rights owner or licensee. It provides you with an overview of a claim of copyright infringement which may reference digital evidence collected to support any form of a legal proceeding in the event the rights holder elects to pursue a further remedy through a legal process. It is, however, a notice only and at this time you have not been named to any legal proceedings. In accordance with the provisions of the Canadian ‘Copyright Modernization Act’, your ISP is legally compelled to transmit a Notice of Claimed Infringement to their customer, upon receipt of such notice or, as soon as practical thereafter. The ISP will confirm the notice was indeed transmitted to you as the account holder assigned use of the internet protocol address (IP) at the date and time the investigation into the infringing activity took place. Your ISP is also required by law to retain records information, which will identify you, for a period of six (6) months from the date of the notice in the event the Rights Holder wishes to pursue further legal remedy as prescribed under Canadian laws and statutes.

How do I know this is not SPAM?

A Notice of Claimed Infringement is not a spam email, it is a PGP signed document transmitted to you directly by your ISP. SPAM email messages are subject to CASL (Canada Anti-Spam Legislation) and senders of spam email messages can be found liable for damages under that Act. Your ISP is not a sender of spam email messages; the Copyright Agent has worked closely with your ISP to facilitate your receiving the Notice of Claimed Infringement and to ensure compliance with all provisions under Canada’s Copyright Modernization Act.

I think you are wrong because I did not download anything

You have received the Notice because you are the subscriber of the connection from which the infringement has been detected. If you did not download the work in question, probably, it may have been someone from your household.

Who will see this?

The notice you received is not a public document and unless you wish to share it with someone, no one will see it.

I understand some Internet content is legal to download and share. How do I know if it is illegal to download something?

There is an abundance of material online on this topic and it is recommended that you have a look in our Legal Alternatives section where many cheap and even free sources are listed.