Students sharing music and movies on campus networks may soon face stiffer penalties as the result of a U.S. Senate resolution calling on universities to do more to eliminate illicit file sharing across campus networks.
The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and passed on May 22, demands that colleges and universities “adopt policies and educational programs on their campuses to help deter and eliminate illicit copyright infringement occurring on, and encourage educational uses of, their computer systems and networks.”
Campus network file sharing happens any time someone uses a university’s computer resources to send or receive a copyrighted file, such as a term paper or song. As universities take steps to restrict the use of their bandwidth to access the Internet, campus file sharing has shifted more and more to local area networks, known as LANs.
Steve Tally, media relations manager for Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP), said that file sharing across local area networks has increased due to new software.
Related Stories
- RIAA Steps Up Campus File-Sharing War, Says Using ‘Better Software, More Servers’
- RIAA nabs 45 on-campus (Keene State College, NH) Students for Illegal Downloads
- Tennessee Proposes Own Crackdown on College Campus File-Sharing
- UK ISPs: ‘We’re not Responsible for Illegal File-Sharing on Our Networks’
- US Congress Passes Anti-Campus File-sharing Requirements
