P2P File Sharing and Presentations/Speeches

Congress recently passed H.R. 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act, a massive piece of legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act that the President will soon sign into law.

This legislation imposes an array of new federal regulatory and reporting requirements for colleges and universities. Two of these provisions are designed to reduce illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted works through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing on campus networks. These and many other provisions of the Act go into effect when the President signs the bill. Institutions must take their obligations under the Act seriously and make a good faith effort to comply--as they would with any new federal law. But the law is unclear in certain respects, and ambiguities will need to be clarified through the regulatory process.

In this Webcast, the speaker will discuss what the law will require, what happens next, and what you should do now.

Peer-to-peer file sharing remains a hot issue. Campuses are receiving DMCA notices, prelitigation letters, and John Doe lawsuits from the RIAA, and Congress is receiving legislative proposals from the MPAA. Different campuses are taking different approaches to these legal actions and to P2P in general. In this discussion session, we'll quickly discuss the range of issues and options, exchange reports on how different campuses are coping, and answer questions.

Peer-to-peer file sharing remains a major headache for campus IT administrators, as the RIAA and MPAA aggressively explore the boundaries of litigation and legislation. This session will feature two panels of experts to discuss where we stand. The first panel will review the best current thinking on campus policy and technology options for coping with P2P issues: How to deal with DMCA notices, prelitigation letters, and John Doe lawsuits, and whether blocking and filtering technologies have matured to the point where they can help. The second panel will look at the current status of federal P2P legislation and also describe recent entertainment industry initiatives to enact such legislation at the state level.

While students and educators clamor for unfettered access to the Internet, IT professionals are shoved against the firewall by the likes of the RIAA and the Union of Concerned Parents for a Safe College Experience. What are the educational arguments for open networks in higher education? Can’t the kids just look at YouTube and Facebook at Starbuck’s? What’s the use of an open-laptop, Internet-enabled classroom? What’s the duty of an educational institution regarding digital rights management? Is censorship of particular sites or content the proper role of higher education? This lively session will discuss these and other topics.

The attention of—and on—higher education has been focused on defensive measures to curb illegal file sharing. But this is occurring in the context of a much larger national debate about the appropriate role of copyright and intellectual property in cyberspace. Simultaneously, myriad new business models and delivery options for online digital entertainment are being tested. Ê What are institutions of higher education doing to curb illegal file sharing? What are the issues in the larger copyright debate? And what is the vision of the entertainment industry for offering digital entertainment online? A panel of distinguished experts in the field will discuss these and other pertinent issues in the peer-to-peer file sharing debate.

Copyright continues to be a core interest of the higher education and academic library communities. This briefing will focus on eight critical legislative and legal arenas where the United States will be working on copyright: orphan works, digital fair use, broadcast flag, Section 1201 anti-circumvention rulemaking, electronic reserves, peer-to-peer file sharing, open access to government-funded research, and the report of the Section 108 Study Group on exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives. The work of the study group will be highlighted, including its primary findings and recommendations. In addition, two important recent studies will be described and their importance for libraries will be cited. The advocacy and educational roles and responsibilities of librarians on copyright also will be outlined.

Federal policies have a very real impact on our institutions. Hear how EDUCAUSE is working with our members to influence federal policies in cases where our government is doing too little (broadband networking) and too much (peer-to-peer file sharing). Learn how you can help to form our message and raise the voice of higher education. Mark Luker, the director of the EDUCAUSE policy office in D.C., will give us the inside story.

The recording industry’s complaints against alleged music downloaders are just the tip of the iceberg in legal threats against online activity. In the five years of the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse, we have seen thousands of legal threats, with claims including trademark infringement, defamation, and copyright infringement. This seminar will discuss some of the range of complaints, both unwarranted and justified, and describe ChillingEffects.org’s resources for those trying to evaluate legal threats. In some cases, the web’s sunlight can help to melt meritless threats.

A steady stream of press releases from the MPAA and the RIAA about unauthorized peer-to-peer downloading suggests that college students are digital pirates and campus network officials are engaged in benign neglect. Yet ample evidence confirms that unauthorized P2P downloading is primarily a consumer market problem, not especially tied to college students on campus networks. Moreover, the media companies with strong ties to consumer broadband providers are themselves at least indirectly promoting unauthorized P2P activity. This is not new: Media companies have a long history of seeking remedy (and revenue) from Congressional action, rather than pursuing marketplace solutions.

This presentation will focus on how Big Music and Big Hollywood have targeted colleges and universities via press releases and Congressional lobbying initiatives while largely ignoring the much larger amount of unauthorized P2P file sharing taking place on commercial networks.

Illinois State University has embarked on a multifaceted comparative study called the Digital Citizen Project, which investigates what works and what doesn't regarding P2P, media, and copyright. The latest baseline data will be shared and discussed, with its implications for industry and higher education. An update on technical monitoring solutions and legal service alternatives will also be featured.