Copyright for Dummies
The following information outlines the issues surrounding Peer to Peer (P2P) file sharing, copyright and illegal downloading.
What is P2P?
P2P refers to all types of file sharing software. BitTorrent, is a typical example of such technology which can be marketed under a variety of different names, such as: eMule, Vuze or Limewire.
P2P is primarily used to share music files, movies, documents and is used for voice over the internet. To participate in P2P file sharing, users agree to share the files they hold. Sharing media without the owners consent is an offence.
Offence
It is an offence to upload and download media illegally, however the copyright infringement companies only focus on the user uploading files – this is because this is easier to detect.
Simply downloading media without permission is a civil offence. The copyright holder can take the offender to court and claim damages.
Downloading and selling copyright material without permission is a much more serious criminal offence.
Dangers of file sharing
The main dangers of file sharing are:
· Viruses and malware.
· Opening yourself up to hackers and phishing scams.
· Prosecution
Penalties
1) University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton imposes penalties on illegal file sharing. There are three levels of punishment starting from withdrawn WiFi access to dismissal from your course.
1st offence:
- Students WiFi access is suspended for 28 days
2nd offence:
- Indefinite suspension of WiFi access
- Student disciplinary procedure begins
- Student liable to be fined or suspended
3rd offence:
- Complete suspension of student IT account
- Student disciplinary procedure begins
- Student liable to be fined, suspended or excluded from the University
2) Criminal / Civil Law
As well as the University’s disciplinary procedure, you can also incur criminal and civil legislative penalties. This is the extent that you could be punished if you are prosecuted:
· 10 year imprisonment
· £50,000 fine
Legal sites for download
Safe and legal sites to download from are:
The Industry Trust | How and Where to Download Legally – lists legal film and television download sites.
Find Any Film - a film finding search engine which only uses legal download sites for movies, downloads, Blu Ray, DVDs, cinema & TV listings.
Some other sites include: the BBC, iTunes, ITV, Channel 4 (etc).
Manage file sharing
Manage your file sharing software and avoid copyright infringement. Download a free software tool that allows you to turn off file sharing software.
Please note however, you must make sure the software is compatible with personal devices as the University takes no responsibility for performance issues or possible data loss. Read more about it here.
Further information on file sharing, copyright and illegal downloading can be found on the University of Wolverhampton's website at www.wlv.ac.uk/itsecurity