Copyright Law and Peer-to-Peer File Sharing What is the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act? The Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA) of 1998 made it illegal to republish copyrighted
information by downloading, uploading or file-sharing media such
as music, movies, or software. Digitally sharing copyrighted
materials is illegal and also violates University policy
regarding use of the campus network. The University does not
monitor individual network activity. However, UWM is obligated
by law to respond to valid complaints from copyright holders and
their agents. DMCA complaints are taken seriously and may result
in loss of access to the UWM network, academic discipline under
University policy, or fines or legal action by the copyright
holders and/or their agents. What's the risk? Groups like the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) pay
organizations to gather information from the internet to
identify where files are being shared illegally. Individual
lawsuits are being settled out of court for $4,