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Understanding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
The distribution of copyrighted materials without permission (over the internet) can be a violation of federal law. The law is known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"). Much of the music, movies, video, or games that are downloaded via file sharing networks like KaZaA, Gnutella, Napster, Blubster, and eDonkey, are distributed without the permission of the copyright owner, and thus these downloads are illegal. The federal government and various organizations (such as the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA) are very serious about enforcing the provisions of the DMCA legislation, and violations can carry stiff fines and potential jail sentences.
What Should UCR Students, Staff, and Faculty Do?
What is the best approach to deal with this issue? Very simply, do not download or distribute copyrighted materials without appropriate permissions. And secondly, if you wish to download copyrighted material, find out how to acquire it legally and take appropriate steps to ensure your computer is not used for illegal file sharing.
Helpful Hints
Understanding the Internet and downloading of music and video's can be a challenge. To learn more about "Protecting Yourself, Doing It Legally" please view this very helpful and short video. (You will need RealPlayer to view this video.) If you have a specific question about downloading legally, please view these helpful FAQs or email your questions to Larry.McGrath@ucr.edu.