File Sharing: Pay for the Music or Face the Music

Now your computer should be free of adware, spyware, and viruses. But there is one more threat both to your computer, and to you: file sharing software. In pursuit of free music or movies, knowingly or unknowingly, you may have installed file sharing software.

If a copyright holder (or an organization acting for them, such as the Recording Industry Association of America, or "RIAA") has evidence that copyrighted music or movie files have been shared from your computer's Intenet address, then you will be notified by the College, and your computer will be disconnected from the network until the Help Desk can verify that you no longer have the files and the file sharing software on your computer. Additionally, the copyright holders can sue you in crimminal court for up to $250,000 and 5 years in prison, or in civil court for $150,000 per title for each copyrighted work you have. The penalties for file sharing copyrighted material are serious, so please take the time now to make sure that you are not in danger of violating copyright laws before you come to Simmons.

The Problems With File Sharing Software

When file sharing software is installed on your computer, you risk breaking the law, but there are other things to worry about as well:

  • By default, many file sharing applications have settings enabled that automatically share the contents of at least the "Downloads" folder of your hard drive. So if you have a filesharing application, you are probably enabling other people to download copyrighted material, which is illegal even if you obtained the music legally.
  • Additionally, file sharing software often comes packaged with ad- and spyware, so your computer is also likely to be sharing information about you, as well as running much slower than it should.
  • Many shared files now contain viruses and other malicious software, so by downloading files you risk the health of your computer.

For all these reasons, Simmons urges you to remove file sharing software from your computer. Even if you don't think that you have any such software, you should open the Control Panel on your computer, double-click on Add/Remove Programs, check to see if you have any filesharing programs, and if you do, remove them. Some of the common file sharing applications are: Bearshare, BitTorrent, Edonkey, Gnutella, Grokster, i2hub, iMesh, Kazaa, Limewire, and Morpheus.

Please note: if you have been stepping through this web site because your Simmons Internet connectivity has been restricted, you will not be able to access the links on this page or any other web pages outside of those within Disinfect & Protect until you work with the Help Desk to confirm that your computer is clean: 617-521-2222.

How Do I Shut Off File Sharing
The following link provides simple and easy to follow instructions on resetting, uninstalling and shutting off your file sharing programs.

Obtaining Music & Movies Legally

Legal Alternatives
There are many options that allow people to experience free and inexpensive music and other media legally online. Visit the links below for some examples.

Just remember: sharing music from these sites violates the user agreement unless the site specifically allows you to do so.

Please consult the Simmons File Sharing web page for more information.

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