Make IT Safe: DMCA Quiz

Security Awareness Archives

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Many people would never dream of walking into a store and stealing a CD or a DVD. Why? Because it's against the law. However, many people do not have the same attitude about downloading music or movies from the Internet without paying for them. The simple fact is that stealing is stealing; regardless of whether it is done physically or virtually.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 is a federal law that is designed to protect copyright holders from online theft-that is, from the unlawful reproduction or distribution of their works.

The DMCA covers music, movies, text and anything that is copyrighted. More importantly, the law involves you, because there is a good chance you might be breaking the law, even if you are not aware that you are.

If you have downloaded copyright-protected files without paying for them then, quite simply, you have broken the law. Take this short quiz to test your knowledge of the DMCA. For each of the examples below, decide if you think the situation would be a violation of federal copyright law.

The DMCA Quiz

Your sister e-mails a chapter of the newest Harry Potter book to you. It's such a good story, you decide to forward it to your best friend. Answer
You purchase a new CD and copy the songs on that CD to your MP3 player. Answer
You use a file sharing program to download your favorite movie and burn it to a DVD. Answer
You copy a song from a CD you own and send the file to a friend using an instant messenger program. Answer
You join iTunes and purchase five songs to download to your computer. You then burn them to a CD to listen to in your car. Answer
You copy a CD you own into MP3 files and post them on a file sharing network for your friends to download. Answer
You pay a membership fee to join a file sharing network and then download material. Answer

A Simple Rule of Thumb

A simple rule of thumb to help you identify which materials are protected by copyright and which are not: If you would typically pay for it, then it is probably protected. If it's a movie from the theatre, a DVD or a tape, then it is probably protected. If it is a song from the radio or one that you would buy at a music store, then it is probably protected.

The DMCA is a federal law, and violations are taken very seriously. In addition to University penalties, DMCA violations may carry heavy civil and criminal penalties. For example, civil penalties include damages and legal fees. The minimum fine is $750 per downloaded file. Criminal penalties, even for first-time offenders, can be stiff: up to $250,000 in fines and five years in prison.

Unless served with a subpoena as required under the DMCA, the University does not release the names of (or any personal information about) subscribers in the process of servicing a DMCA notice.

For more information on the DMCA, visit one of the following Web sites:

University of Missouri
Division of Information Technology
615 Locust Street, Columbia, MO 65211
(573)882-2000