Peer-to-peer (P2P) applications such as BearShare, Warez, Morpheus, BitTorrent, iMesh and KaZaA, make it easy for users to exchange files with each other over the Internet. While these programs are a good way of sharing information, they are not entirely harmless and can cause problems for your personal system as well as the University network.

This document provides the information you need to avoid violating federal copyright law, or exposing your computer to malicious code or unacceptable use when using peer-to-peer applications.

Copyright Issues

File-sharing applications make it easy for you to share music, videos, movies, software, text and other files. However, unless you have the explicit permission of the copyright owner to possess or distribute the material, you may be in violation of federal copyright law. It is best to assume that all material is copyrighted. Know that most p2p programs set themselves up as servers when they are installed and run for the first time. Every time that you run the program, it acts as a server, sharing the files in the Shared folder where where that it downloads the files. file into.

The University cannot protect you from a copyright complaint. In fact, we may be legally required to assist a complainant in pursuing action against you. The penalties can range from University sanctions to civil and criminal prosecution. Individual copyright owners and the entertainment industry are quite active in pursuing legal actions. You are not protected just because you received material at no cost or are distributing material with no charge. Your only protection is to not possess or distribute any unlicensed copyrighted material. Remember, you are responsible for ensuring the integrity of your account.

For More Information

Before you install any program on your computer, especially a P2P application, read that program's documentation and disable, if possible, file-sharing access.

For more information about file sharing, check out http://at.unh.edu/resnet/resources/filesharing.htm .

If you experience problems after reading the web page, call the CIS Help Desk and Dispatch Center at 862-4242.

Sources: University of Texas at Austin , UCLA, MPAA documentation, and UNH CIS.

Anne Lawing, D.Ed. Senior Assistant Vice President Division of Student and Academic Services University of New Hampshire 102 Thompson Hall Durham, NH  03824 (603) 862-2498 Fax (603) 862-0232