Topic 9: File Sharing and Copyright


To watch the video, click on the icon below that matches your media player. If you don't have a player, go to our download page. If you need a video with text captions, please visit our text-captioned page.

Most recordings and videos available today are protected by copyright laws. To obtain a work that is not in the public domain, it is necessary to get permission from the owner of the copyright. This can be accomplished by paying the appropriate fee at a legal download site. Services such as Napster, Apple iTunes, and Musicmatch provide download permission based on a signed agreement or a service charge. Sometimes owner sites will have an explicit statement saying that it is acceptable to download and reproduce their work without permission, but this is a rare occurrence.

Accusations of illegal file sharing typically come from either the music or movie industries, in the form of a "DMCA Complaint." The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed by the US Congress in 1998 to reform copyright laws for the digital age. It defines penalties such as hefty fines for individuals found guilty of illegally sharing copyrighted materials.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and other companies representing the entertainment industry contact the University when they believe illegal downloads have occurred, providing identifying information that obligates the university to track down the copyright violator.

Other indicators such as high bandwidth consumption may alert the university to the illegal use of information technology resources. As with any such abuse, the user may lose network access, as well as more severe penalties.

To see the UT Techno Tips Student Guide for Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Issues click here

Legal Download Sites

Apple iTunes
MusicMatch

Interested in Exploring More?

Here are links to UT-related sites with information on file sharing and copyright:
Office of the Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees - Copyright Information
Copyright Information for Faculty from UT Libraries
Copyright, or Copywrong: Intellectual Property in the Digital Age
Welcome to Napster at UT

Here are some other sites on file sharing and copyright:
United States Copyright Office
Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Full text
Educause page on the DMCA
Educause page on P2P File-Sharing
ALA page on Copyright Issues
NEA page on Copyright and Intellectual Property
Apple iTunes
Motion Picture Association (MPA) Protecting Copyright and Creativity
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

IT Security Awareness Training Topics

Virus Protection	Passwords	Storing Sensitive Data	Spyware	Email Hoaxes


Desktop Security	Phishing	Firewalls	File Sharing and Copyright