Unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing over the Internet

Below is a message to all of us from the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs:

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has recently increased its efforts to curtail unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing of music over the Internet. This means that individuals who engage in unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing are more likely than ever to be identified and sued by the RIAA. Most have settled these lawsuits out-of-court-typically for $4,000-$4,500.

This past Friday and Saturday, the University received notification that the RIAA intends to sue or receive settlement from more than a dozen members of the U-M community, whom the RIAA designated through IP addresses. The University is in the process of identifying and notifying these individuals.

The University of Michigan does not condone unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing. Individuals who engage in it are violating a variety of University policies including Standard Practice Guide 601.7 - Proper Use of Information Resources, Information Technology, and Networks at the University of Michigan.

Faculty, staff, or students who have installed peer-to-peer file sharing programs on their computers and are concerned that they might be unwittingly sharing files should visit the University of Chicago's useful webpage that describes how to disable file sharing on a variety of programs (http://security.uchicago.edu/guidelines/peer-to-peer/).

The University of Michigan maintains a web page (http://www.copyright.umich.edu) that describes the U-M's position on illegal sharing of copyrighted materials and also includes a growing list of FAQs. All members of the University community are encouraged to study the materials on this page.

Lawful downloading of music is possible through sites such as Apple iTunes, MSNmusic, Rhapsody, Ruckus, etc. Details about a number of these sites are available at: http://mp3.about.com/od/wheretobuymusic/a/all_profile.htm and http://mp3.about.com/od/freemusicdownloads/tp/freeandlegalmp3.htm.

Teresa A. Sullivan
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs