Frequently Asked Questions – P2P and Illegal File Sharing
Another source of information can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions below:
Q: Is P2P ever legal?
A: Yes, if you write an article that you want to send to share with your friend. If you use it to share music, images, movies or anything else that you have purchased or downloaded from someone else it is illegal. Illegal file sharing can occur between the campus network and the public internet, or within a local area network (LAN).
Q: Is it illegal to forward an email that includes copyrighted material to someone else?
A: Yes
Q: Is it illegal to make an MP3 copy of a song from a CD you bought?
A: No
Q: Is it illegal to transfer copyrighted material using instant messenger?
A: Yes
Q: What is the DMCA?
A: Digital Millennium Copyright Act – An act that updates U.S. copyright laws for current digital technologies
Q: What is a DMCA violation notice?
A: A notification The College receives indicating a violation of the act has been discovered, which requests TCNJ to investigate and respond.
Q: What are the potential institutional consequences of illegal P2P?
A: Illegal file sharing is considered a violation of the Computing Access Agreement. If discovered your network access will be restricted and you will be subjected to the TCNJ judiciary procedures.
Q: Besides civil and criminal penalties, what are some of the dangers of illegal P2P?
A: There are several dangers of participating in illegal file sharing including:
- Propagation of viruses and worms – simply being connected to a P2P network can allow worms to spread without any action on your part.
- Exposure of private information to strangers, which can lead to identity theft
- Vulnerability to exposure to unwanted pornographic images
Q: How can I find out more about illegal file sharing?
A: Visit some of the following links:
- TCNJ Computing Access Agreement
https://it.tcnj.edu/security/network-access-control-nac/computer-access-agreement/l
- Recording Industry Association of America
- Motion Picture Association of America
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act
www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf
- Educause information on the DMCA
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2008/11/illegal-file-sharing-101