In light of recent law suits filed against college students for operating file-sharing servers, many questions have been raised about the legal obligations of Stanford University and the users of its network with regard to file-sharing and copyrighted materials. In collaboration with Information Security Services (ISS) and the General Counsel's Office, here are some answers to your questions about file-sharing, copyright law, and University policies and practices: http://rescomp.stanford.edu/info/dmca/.

On March 22, 2004, various recording studios filed a John Doe complaint against a user of the Stanford network. The lawsuit alleges that the unnamed defendant illegally downloaded and/or shared 11 songs and seeks statutory damages, which could be up to $150,000 per violation. For the text of the lawsuit, click here (PDF).

Press inquiries should be directed to the Office of General Counsel.

For more information about file-sharing, copyright law and how it affects you, visit our FAQ.

The University has developed updated policies and procedures for dealing with illegal file-sharing on campus. Be sure to check out the updated FAQ on file-sharing and copyright law:

File-sharing and copyright law: How it affects you

A new DMCA complaint policy was announced via email to all students on Tuesday, May 15, 2007-- the new policy involves an Internet reconnect fee and represents a significant change in actions the university will take in addressing violations. For information on the new policy please see: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/legal/recent/DMCAReconnectfee5-11-07.Web.pdf. If you have questions about the DMCA Reconnect Fee policy, please contact Lauren Schoenthaler (at: lks@stanford.edu), Senior University Counsel. For more information on file-sharing and copyright law, please visit our FAQ at: http://rescomp.stanford.edu/info/dmca/.