Filesharing and You
Although a popular activity, distributing a copyrighted file without permission of the copyright holder - whether on campus or via internet - is illegal. Often such sharing utilizes peer-to-peer (P2P) network programs, such as bitTorrent or Gnutella.
"Here's the bottom line: If you distribute copyrighted music without authorization from the copyright owner, you are breaking the law. (Distribution can mean anything from "sharing" music files on the Internet to burning multiple copies of copyrighted music onto blank CD-Rs and selling or giving them to others.)" -- from the Frequently-asked Questions at CampusDownloading.com.
Recording companies, movie and video producers and other content owners actively monitor the Internet to find computers distributing copyrighted files. Lawrence University receives notices of alleged infringements, and under the law we contact users we believe associated with such activity.
Some actions you can take to avoid copyright law infringement are:
- Ensure that your file sharing application is not set to share the files you have on your computer. If it is set to share files, ensure that you have explicit permission from the copyright holders for sharing ALL of the files stored using this application.
- Ensure that the distributor of a file you are interested in downloading has permission from the copyright holder to be distributing it. Give yourself the benefit of doubt and assume that you do not have permission to download or distribute a file unless you have proof to the contrary.
- When you purchase music, movies, games, software, and other multi-media files, READ THE LICENSE carefully. It will tell you if you have permission to convert the material to other formats for your own use, and whether or not you can share the material with others.
- Educate yourself on what you can legally download and what you can legally share with others.
- Monitor the popular news and press to keep up-to-date on the efforts of the music and movie industries to propose legislation to safeguard their intellectual property rights, and ensure that your voice is heard by your local legislators when you have an opinion on these proposed measures.
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