Does the DMCA make the use of peer-to-peer services illegal?
It is not against the law or campus policies to use peer-to-peer file-sharing programs or to swap materials that are not copyright-protected. It is, however, against the rules to download and/or distribute copyright-protected material. If you are using a peer-to-peer file-sharing program, make sure that you are not “serving” copyright-protected materials to the world. Most file-sharing programs have worldwide file sharing turned on by default when they are installed. If you have copyright-protected materials on your computer, you need to disable file sharing so that the programs are no longer serving these materials from your computer. For information on disabling file sharing for the most popular P2P clients, visit The University of Chicago website. Back to top What IS Permitted • Q: I downloaded files through a legal site (such as abc.com) on the internet that allows downloading of movies, tv shows and songs. If I am not sharing files, is it ok to keep these on my computer? A: Yes. A
