- 80% of Americans view stealing a DVD from a store as a serious crime.
- 40% of Americans view downloading movies illegally as a serious crime.
What's the difference?
No, not 40%. In reality, there is no difference between these two crimes. Downloading a movie or music album from the Internet without the copyright owner's permission is the same as if you walked into a store, stuffed the DVD (or CD) into your pocket and walked out.
This survey, done by the Solutions Research Group in January 2007, shows the magnitude of the problem with illegal music and movie downloads. Most illegal downloading occurs on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks such as LimeWire, DC++ and KaZaA. These networks do not obtain permission to share copyrighted material online, unlike legal services such as iTunes.
University policy on file-sharing
Sharing or downloading copyrighted files without permission over the UR network is illegal and a violation of University policy! As stated in the University's Information Technology Policy:
"Users of University Information Technology Resources must comply with copyright and licensing restrictions and with applicable university policies. University Information Technology Resources may not be used to violate copyright or the terms of any license agreement. Unauthorized downloading and distributing copyrighted material is prohibited." (Section III, I, C)
Why is it illegal?
The purpose of copyright is to protect the rights of the creators of intellectual property. Copyright holders have the sole right to copy, modify, and distribute their works. Therefore copyright helps to prevent the unauthorized use or sale of these works.
How would you feel if someone read your groundbreaking research paper that consumed a year of your life and then posted it on the Internet for anyone to download and copy?
Well your research paper is considered “intellectual property,” the same as a recording artist’s song or a painter’s mural. So if you wouldn’t appreciate someone distributing your work to the entire online community without your permission, then perhaps you should think twice before downloading or distributing an artist’s work without their permission.
How can I tell if the site I'm downloading from is legal or illegal?
That’s a very valid question. Review these three lists of legal music and movie downloading sites. If the site in question is not on the list, do not download from them. It’s that simple.
- LEGAL Movie Download Sites—List
- LEGAL Music Download Sites—List #1
- LEGAL Music Download Sites—List #2
In addition, many artists, record companies, and movie studios list on their websites whether they allow the distribution of their materials on the Internet. So check these websites first before downloading their material from legally questionable third party sites or making their material available to others.
Lastly, copyrights can last for anywhere between 50 and 120 years. But once the copyright has expired, the works that were copyrighted fall into public domain. Works in public domain can be distributed, downloaded, and copied by anyone legally. So chances are that if the work was made recently, it’s probably under copyright.
Where can I view or download free music, movies, and TV shows legally?
You have several options:
- The University of Rochester offers online music service from Ruckus, free for all students!
- Try one of the services on the “Legal Music Download Sites” and “Legal Movie Download Sites” Lists above.
- ABC, CBS, and NBC all allow viewers to watch their television shows on their websites for free. New episodes are usually available online the morning after they first air on television.
- Fox has teamed up with MySpace to create Fox on Demand, a service that enables viewers to watch the latest episodes of their favorite Fox TV shows for free online.
- Entertainment Magazine Online offers free movie downloads for movies that have passed out of copyright and into the public domain.
- Pandora allows you to create your own radio station on the Internet that only plays the songs or genres that you like. FineTune allows you to listen to your favorite artists as well as create playlists. And they’re free, of course.
With all these options available to you, what are you waiting for? Try these free and legal online services today!
Illegal file-sharing can be hazardous to your (academic) health
If the University receives a complaint against you from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), or other copyright holding associations, you will be notified by e-mail. For each complaint filed against you, you will face escalating consequences:
- 1st complaint-
You will receive a warning from University IT and an informal letter of warning from the Dean of Students Office.
- 2nd complaint- You will have your NetID account suspended, there will be official disciplinary action from the Dean of Students' Office (most likely disciplinary probation and community service), and incur a $150 NetID reconnection fee.
Other dangers of illegal file-sharing
Legal Ramifications:
Copyright holders can find out exactly what files are shared from your computer. And the law is on their side!
In June 2007, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent pre-litigation letters to 395 college students to address illegal file trafficking. These students will each be responsible for paying restitution in order to resolve copyright infringement claims against them. Their universities are not responsible—the students are.
In just six months (Jan-June ‘07), the RIAA brought lawsuits against over 2,000 college students! The average settlement paid was $3,000 per student, plus attorney’s fees. Ouch! And the MPAA is beginning to follow suit.
Personal Loss:
If you don’t think you’ll get caught by the RIAA or the University, then perhaps you should consider what else could be happening while you’re downloading media illegally from peer-to-peer networks. While you’re getting the hottest new music and movies, some hacker could be downloading your confidential and personal information.
“How?” you may ask. Peer-to-peer (P2P) programs function by allowing users to connect to each others’ hard drives in order to access and copy files. Any files stored in shared folders are fair game for others to copy and steal. Some P2P programs don’t even create shared folders; they simply utilize existing folders such as “My Documents” and its subfolders. That means that anything stored in your “My Documents” folder is up for grabs, including any Word documents, financial software files, photos, and other personal data. This can result in identity theft.
Computer Problems:
Did you know that one out of every three computer attacks occur through P2P file-sharing networks? Hackers know that viruses and spyware can be easily spread through peer-to-peer networks, so they take advantage of this. They can simply name a file containing a virus after a popular song. Then when the users open the file, no song plays; instead, their computers get infected. Read this woman’s horror story about what happened when she used LimeWire.
Disconnect your P2P file-sharing clients
To avoid the consequences from the University and the copyright holding agencies, we recommend that you disable your peer-to-peer file sharing clients. Check this website for graphic tutorial instructions on how to disable your P2P client: http://security.uchicago.edu/guidelines/peer-to-peer/ (This is courtesy of the University of Chicago which developed and maintains the website.)
More information
Don't become a statistic! Know the law on downloading and distributing copyrighted files.
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