Letter to the Community Regarding P2P Software

As you may know from recent press accounts, the recording industry has been more aggressively pursuing individuals who it believes have been illegally sharing copyrighted music. Movie studios and television companies are following the recording industry's lead and more aggressively pursuing individuals and corporations they believe are infringing on copyrighted movies and video. Allegheny students are being caught in this industry crackdown.

Please be aware that if you install peer-to-peer software such as Limewire, Kazaa, or BitTorrent on your computer, you may be sharing copyrighted or confidential material since the default settings of such software are typically set to seek and share any sound or video recordings it finds. It may also share files containing confidential information if such files are in the same folder as the media files it is sharing. You are responsible for files shared from your computer via your Internet connection even if you are not aware they are being shared.

If you would like to learn more about this issue, please attend the workshop on P2P software and file sharing to be held Tuesday, December 4, at 8:00 p.m. in Baldwin Hall. If you cannot attend the workshop and would like more information, please contact Helen McCullough.

This is a significant issue for the Allegheny community. Five Allegheny students have been sent a settlement letter from a recording industry attorney indicating that the students are believed to have been illegally sharing copyrighted materials. At least some of these students appear to have been unaware that they were sharing music. The attorney's letter explains the alleged violation and directs students to a Web site ( http://www.p2plawsuits.com ) at which the alleged copyright infringer can pay a monetary settlement determined by the recording industry and its attorneys. Media reports note that settlements have typically been at least $3,000. The letter also indicates that the industry will file civil suits against any individuals who do not accept their settlement offer. In early October, the first such case was settled in Duluth, Minnesota, and the industry won an award of $220,000. Late last month, a lawsuit against two (as yet unnamed) Allegheny students was filed in Erie federal court, and the College has received a court order seeking the names of the community members responsible for the Internet addresses connected to the suspected copyright infringement.

The best way to avoid receiving such notices and experiencing the consequent actions is to refrain from sharing copyrighted material online using peer-to-peer services like Kazaa and BitTorrent. Music can be purchased legally online from stores such as iTunes, Amazon.com, eMusic, and many more.

Sincerely,

Rick Holmgren
Executive Director of Learning, Information, and Technology Services

To learn more about recent industry practices and their results, please read the following news stories:

• Recording industry group says piracy students are settling, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 27, 2007.
• Record Companies to Accused Pirates: Deal or No Deal?, Chronicle of Higher Education. March 16, 2007.
• Record Companies Win Music Sharing Trial. , Washington Post. October 5, 2007