Illegally Downloading Media

Illegally downloading media from the Internet

24 August 2012

Abstract

With companies worldwide with high interest in both music and film industries, it is a major issue that they have to deal with media piracy. With Internet access increasing globally, piracy has the potential to create huge financial losses for these industries. This brief will address illegal Internet downloading policies relating to copyrighted works for companies to combat piracy using an Appropriate Use Policy.

Illegally downloading media from the Internet

The internet has been the critical factor in the rise of online piracy. High-speed internet offers the ability to share media instantaneously. With the emergence of file-sharing among millions of users, technologies today allow users to illegally download music and films quickly and at no cost. This eliminates the need for many to purchase this media legally in stores.

Based simply on the popularity of piracy programs and content availability, this has put companies at risk from user’s taking advantage of the resources they have to make these illegal transactions. To make aware of these illegal violations to the user that they are breaking the law, an Appropriate Use Policy is usually implemented within a business or institution. For example, the University of Rice got notified that someone within the institution had conducted an unauthorized file share of copyrighted material. With their policy in place stating that making unauthorized copies of or downloading copyrighted materials is against the law and may result in civil and criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment. All students, faculty and staff members have to acknowledge acceptance of the policy to get a Rice computer account (B.J., 2007). The Information Technology security officer was on the case to find the offender. Most offenders of these kinds of violations do not consider illegal downloading to be a crime, just another means of attaining popular music...