Last month, UNM received 41 notices that asserted we have people using the University network to download and upload digital music, movies and games without the copyright owner’s permission. This increase in the number of accusations made against UNM network users mirrors the increase in pending legal proceedings across the country against copyright violators. In other words, outfits like the Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Entertainment Software Association are getting serious about cracking down on illegal file sharing — which they call “piracy.”

When students get sued by the RIAA, the MPAA or the ESA, the average settlement is around $3,000, and that does not include the cost of hiring an attorney. So, with the huge amount of legal music and movie downloading sites available these days, it just does not make sense to do it illegally and take the risk of getting caught.

Advice: Buy the song. Buy the movie. Buy the game. Illegal file sharing is like speeding: after you get caught, you realize it wasn’t worth it. If you do use file-sharing programs like Ares, Kazaa, Morpheus, LimeWire, FrostWire, eDonkey or Bearshare for legal purposes, follow these tips:

Tip 1: Do not keep any of your music, movies or games in the program’s default sharing folder. If you do, courts will assume you have either downloaded the files or are offering the files for uploading by others.

Tip 2: Set the number of uploads (or slots) allowed to zero. This should prevent others from taking files from you.

Tip 3: Disable file sharing altogether. Search for “University of Chicago Safe Computing” for step-by-step instructions concerning the file-sharing program you use.
Tip 4: Make sure you have anti-virus software running on your computer and that you keep it up to date. Many illegal downloads come with viruses and malware that can slow down, damage and even destroy your system. Symantec EndPoint Protection is available at no cost to anyone with a valid UNM NetID, even for home use. Visit the
it.unm.edu. download page to get your copy.

If you have questions about computer security or have ideas for future topics, please feel free to contact me at mccarr@unm.edu.

Mike Carr is the UNM director of Information Assurance.