The illegal distribution of copyrighted music, movies, television shows, text
files, and software is a pervasive problem. The most problematic of copyright
infringement are peer-to-peer file sharing systems. Peer-to-peer (P2P) file
sharing applications are used to connect a computer directly to other computers
in order to transfer files between the systems. While P2P technologies have many
legitimate uses, the primary use of P2P technology has been to copy commercial
music and video files, without the copyright holder's permission, for personal
enjoyment. Unauthorized file sharing violates the Copyright Law.
Penalties
Students cannot share any file for which they do not have distribution rights. The use of file sharing programs for copyright protected material can have major consequences for students, including civil and criminal penalties. See Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws below for a more detailed explanation. For example, if a song was sent to ten people, the sender may face statutory damages of up to $1,500,000. In addition to civil liability, there is potential criminal liability in copyright cases, with penalties depending on the number and value of products exchanged. While some lawsuits brought by copyright owners against students can settle for much less, they still have involved settlement amounts of as much as $17,000, plus attorney fees. Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, whether downloading or sharing out, using the Meridian’s network is a violation of Meridian’s Internet Use Policy. It is also a violation of US civil and criminal law under the federal Copyright Act. If Meridian receives an official notice of copyright infringement under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), we are obligated as a service provider, and as a university under the terms of the Higher Education Opportunities Act, to take action.Alternatives to Illegal File Sharing
Below are services that grant legal and affordable access to copyrighted material.- Last.fm is an Internet radio and music community website, which includes a music recommendation system that learns what kind of music listeners may like. www.last.fm
- Pandora is an Internet radio and music recommendation service created by the Music Genome Project that allows listeners to search for a song or artist and plays similar music. www.pandora.com
- Hulu is a website for streaming free, high-quality video of TV shows, movies, and video clips. This service offers content from NBC, Fox, Comedy Central, PBS, USA Network, Bravo, Fuel TV, FX, Sci-Fi, Style, Sundance, G4, and Oxygen… and the selection is growing! www.hulu.com
- SHOUTcast is a collection of online radio stations. www.shoutcast.com
- Live365 is an Internet radio network that allows users to create their own radio stations and listen to other curated stations. www.live365.com
- The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Visit this site to learn where to get music online without breaking the law. www.riaa.com