Learn Before You Burn

Please take a minute to learn about what might happen to you if you share copyrighted files illegaly! We're making our best attempt to educate you so that you can learn instead of getting burned!

Do you use popular peer-to-peer filesharing applications like Azureus, DC++, Limewire, BitTorrent, or Kazaa?

While file sharing with these applications is popular, many of the files people share are copyright protected. It is against the law to share copyrighted material unless you have the explicit permission of the copyright holder, including movies, music, tv shows, games, software applications, and e-books!

What happens if you get caught sharing copyrighted material?

Copyright holders like the RIAA and MPAA have several approaches to curbing illegal filesharing. If you share files illegally, you may be on the receiving end of one of these:

Take down notice: Upon the first incident, you'll lose your In-Room Connection for one week. Upon the second, your In-Room Connection will be suspended indefinitely and an incident report will be filed with the Office of Student Development.

Early settlement letter: You could receive an "early settlement" letter offering you the chance to settle rather than facing the risk of going to court. Sixteen UC Berkeley students received these letters last year. The average settlement cost is around $4500.

Subpoena: The copyright holder could issue a subpoena to the university demanding your name and contact information so that they can sue you in court. Having your information subpoenaed means you will most likely get sued and have to face substantial legal fees (like $10000 or more).

Any of these can happen to you at any time! You can get an early settlement letter even if you've never received a take down notice. And over 25 UC Berkeley students have had their information subpoenaed in the past two years!

ResComp's doing our best to make sure you stay safe and informed!

That's why we're telling you all of this information now. We also provide tools and resources for you to share files legally! After you've registered for your In-Room Connection, visit the "Be Smart" part of our website to learn more about legal filesharing resources available to you.