What are Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Utilities?
Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing utilities automatically turn your computer into a server, sharing everything you download with the outside world. Unless you are very careful, many file-sharing programs will share your files including copyrighted music, without your knowledge. This means you may be breaking the law without even knowing it! KaZaA and Gnutella are examples of file sharing programs the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) focuses on. As an Internet user, please be aware that the music and movie industries believe that if you upload or download music or movies from the Internet without paying for it, you are violating their copyright. Federal copyright statutes provide monetary penalties for the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted sound or video recordings. The copyright holders use computer programs to help them identify the IP addresses (computer numbers) of Internet users who are exchanging music or movies. The copyright holder can then subpoen
