Universities around the country have become a hotbed for the illegal downloading of software files and other forms of multimedia.
The high speed internet connections that are meant to be a study tool are instead being used for copyright infringement. Due to the 2008 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), universities are being required to install software to block illegal programs that allow students to file-share.
If these services are unavailable, an alternative means of preventing downloads must be found. According to a USA Today article, “The products look for file-sharing programs and block them. They shut down a users’ Web access for a period of time, and the user must remove the file-sharing program and any files that were downloaded before access is restored.”
The consequences for most violators vary but most come in the form of fines or community service.
Freshman, Anna Patterson said, “While I think iTunes prices are utterly absurd ($1.29? How greedy can we get, music execs?), stealing is stealing. There are other options. Rhapsody, Napster, etc. Or, exchange (legally downloaded) mixes with other friends”
However, Taylor Kamnetz, a freshman, said, “I think we should be able to use it if we want. Our computer, our money, if anything happens it’s our fault and everyone knows that.”
Opinions vary from student to student, but U. Mississippi’s IT policy prohibits file-sharing of any copyrighted material. File-sharing softwares and clients should not even be present on a student computer. Even just having peer-to-peer (P2P) programs like LimeWire and BearShare can allow you to unknowingly share files with other users.
The policy also states that students will be responsible for all legal and financial consequences they may face if caught.
Alternatively, the policy recommends purchasing songs off of Amazon MP3 or purchasing songs from iTunes. Both sites offer songs with prices ranging from $0.89 to $1.29.
Though spending $1.29 on a popular song on iTunes may seem expensive, it beats paying a fine that could reach $150,000. Movies can also be purchased on iTunes or users can subscribe to NetFlix for video streaming.
A list of popular, legal, fee-based and free alternatives can be found at:http://www.educause.edu/legalcontent.