File-sharing of copyrighted material over the Internet is illegal and considered theft under the 1976 Copyright Act. Over the past three years, 18,000 lawsuits have been filed from the RIAA and MPAA concerning illegal file-sharing. If found guilty, the RIAA has the legal capability to sue from $750 to $150,000 per media offense. Make sure that you are not one of these individuals by not downloading or uploading copyrighted material. Illegal file-sharing is not only a violation of Federal Law, but also of the UC Merced Acceptable Use Policy. Do not be a part of the illegal distribution of copyrighted media over the Internet.
No matter how you feel about file-sharing, you need to understand that copyright holders will prosecute if you are caught illegally file-sharing. At UC Davis, four students were charged with lawsuits from the RIAA who were using peer-to-peer file sharing programs. Students at other UC campuses have also been charged with similar lawsuits. Multiple Media Industries run random network scans and are searching for media offenders. UC Merced is powerless to protect you from any legal charges that could be held against you. The Recording Industry recognizes no age to offenders who file-swap; youth is no plea to escape these lawsuits. Should you be caught, you or your parents will pay the price for file-sharing.
There are, however, legal alternatives. Internet Service sites are available where media subscriptions can be purchased. Rhapsody (http://www.rhapsody.com) is one alternative where you can subscribe to unlimited music for a monthly fee. Programs, like iTunes (http://www.apple.com/itunes/), have music and television that can be purchased per title, album, or season. For more video media, you can use Google Video (http://video.google.com/), click on "TV shows", which has free television shows for viewers. There are alternatives in the world of digital media other than piracy.
Legal File-Sharing Options
Interested in finding legal file-sharing options at UC Merced? View alternative downloading options and learn the facts about legal file sharing.