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Distributing copyright protected materials such as music, videos, journal articles, images, software and electronic games without permission is a violation of copyright law.  Copyright violations can lead to both criminal and civil legal actions, and penalties can run from $750 to $150,000 per infringement. Very large volume infringements have, in some rare circumstances at other institutions, resulted in criminal investigations and prosecutions that included sentencing.

Content owners, such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), as well as network television stations like Home Box Office (HBO), deploy detection services targeted at higher education networks such as ().  In the past, the RIAA in particular has sued college students for copyright infringement, with settlements costing students and their families thousands of dollars.  Unlike some colleges and universities, () does not monitor its network for content, nor does it block the potential distribution of copyrighted content.

The College is obligated by law (HEOA) to both raise your awareness of these types of issues and inform you that special risks exist with regard to distributing or file-sharing copyright protected materials on its network.