GSOM would like to remind you that downloading copyrighted material (such as music, movies, video games, software etc.) that has not been purchased is illegal and that this type of behavior is monitored by the companies who produce the material. Students should be cautioned that though peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs such as eDonkey, Limewire, KaZaA, etc. have legal uses, more often than not, they are used for unauthorized sharing and downloading of copyrighted material.

Copyright infringement laws are much tougher in the United States than in other countries where laws are loosely policed and penalties can be severe. Civil and criminal penalties for anyone found liable for copyright infringement include the following:

• Actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed.
• Up to $150,000 per work infringed for “willful” infringement in addition to potential costs and attorneys’ fees
• Imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense should the court rule for criminal penalties

If you have peer-to-peer (P2P) software on your computer, you should be aware that by design, many of them run in the background of your computer and you could be sharing a song/movie with someone else using that software without your knowledge.  Clark ITS strongly recommends that if you have P2P software currently installed on your computer, that you uninstall it.  If you don’t know how, or need help uninstalling it, the Help Desk in the Academic Commons can help.

For more information about copyrighted material and peer-to-peer sharing, be sure to check out the following webpage provided by Clark ITS: http://www.clarku.edu/offices/its/policies/filesharing.cfm.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Help Desk at 508-793-7745, helpdesk@clarku.edu.