more on USC to Students: No Sharing Files

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

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From: "Ayyasamy, Senthilkumar  (UMKC-Student)" <saq66@umkc.edu>
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 22:54:12 -0500
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: RE: [IP] USC to Students: No Sharing Files

Another article on same lines:
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/8/31/14253/3495

All students at Cornell University were recently sent the following memo.
In addition to actively enforcing the DMCA on campus, Cornell Judicial
Administrators operate under a presumption of guilt and sentence students to
mandatory community service without forcing the complainant to prove the
individual accused was actually responsible for downloading the file. The
DMCA 
does not require violators to be prosecuted, at ISPs expense, in order for
them to maintain common carrier status. However, the university is actively
selling students out in order to cover its own ass.

[...]

What can you do about it? Simple, don't download copyrighted material for
which 
you do not have the owner's permission. Moreover, if you have file-sharing
programs on your computer, set the program such that it no longer serves
materials 
out from your computer. It is a good idea to curtail serving files out for
another 
reason as well. File serving consumes a lot of bandwidth. Network operators
with 
responsibilities to maintain a safe and functional network will check and
regulate 
for excessive volumes (they do not monitor content), and there are protocols
for 
excessive use as well. Finally, if you don't like or disagree with the law,
learn 
more about and take a stand on it in the arena of national politics. With
implications 
for free speech and academic inquiry, it might just become the political
issue of 
your generation.


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