Walking into a store and stealing a CD, DVD, or software is illegal. The same principle applies when it comes to downloading music, movies, or software from the Internet. Downloading or sharing copyrighted files and/or software violates copyright and anti-piracy laws, and increases your risk of exposure to a debilitating virus than can destroy valuable data on your computer or the University network.
If you download or share copyrighted files or software on campus, or as part of university activities, you are in violation of WSU policy. Infringement of copyright laws also can subject you to significant fines and imprisonment.
For example:
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 made major changes in U.S. copyright law to address the digitally networked environment and preserve copyright enforcement on the Internet. It is designed to protect copyright holders from online theft — that is, from the unlawful reproduction or distribution of their Internet-published works. The DMCA covers music, movies, text, and anything else that is found on the Internet.
As a matter of fact, all works on the Internet are considered "published" and therefore fall under copyright protection. Just because a work is on the Internet does not mean it is in the public domain and free for anyone to download and copy. You need permission from the site owner to publish materials, including photographs, music, and artwork from a website, unless copying and distribution is explicitly allowed.
You could violate federal, state, and international copyright law if:
The most important point to remember regarding the illegal practice of downloading or sharing copyrighted material is: If you would typically pay for the item, then more than likely it is protected by copyright law.
