The Internet, Intellectual Property, and Copyright Infringement

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 is a federal law that is designed to protect copyrightholders from unlawful reproduction or distribution of their works. The DMCA covers music, movies, textand anything that is copyrighted. One of the biggest culprits of copyright infringement is peer-to-peer file sharing programs and sites. These may include LimeWire, Gnutella, Kazaa, and others. These sites allow the exchange of often copyrighted material (most commonly music) and often give others access to files on your computer and your personal information. Please be aware that when you sign up for service on some of these sites (example LimeWire) you are purchasing a software licence, NOT the right to share music or other copyrighted material. Peer-to-peer sites and software are also notorious for being the source of malicious viruses, spyware and other malware. You could violate federal copyright law if: • Somebody e-mails copyrighted material to you and, in turn, you forward it • You make an MP3 copy of a song from a CD that you bought (purchasers are expressly permitted to do so) but subsequently make the MP3 file(s) available on the Internet using a file- sharing network. • You join a file-sharing network and download unauthorized copies of copyrighted material you want from the computers of other network members. • To gain access to copyrighted material on the computers of other network members, you pay a fee to join a file-sharing network that is not authorized to distribute or make copies of the copyrighted material. You then download unauthorized material. • You transfer copyrighted material using an instant messaging service. • You have a computer with a CD burner that you use to burn copies of music you have downloaded onto writable CDs which you then distribute to your friends. • A simple rule of thumb to help you identify which materials are protected by copyright and which are not: If you would typically pay for it, then it is probably protected. Complaints typically arrive directly from software, music and motion picture associations, copyright holders and law firms. Information Technology Services disables network access for the devices registered to the individual identified. IT will contact the student if Missouri S&T is notified of a violation of copyright law to inform him or her about the complaint. Legal Sources for Downloading Music, Video, etc… There are many legal sites for downloading music, movies, videos, etc…A comprehensive list is available at www.campusdownloading.com. Be sure to research any site you plan to use so you are sure that it is legal. Some of the most common legal sites are Rhapsody, iTunes, and Zune. Rule of thumb: If it is free, it most likely isn’t legal.