Slashdot Mirror
Online Quiz As a Gateway to P2P
Andy Guess points out an interesting approach taken by a Missouri university to limiting (and limiting legal exposure because of) on-campus, on-line copyright violations, as described at Inside Higher Ed: "In order to download (or upload) files on any peer-to-peer network whatsoever, all on-campus users at Missouri S&T have to pass an online quiz on copyright infringement. But not just once. Passing the test — with a perfect score — enables peer-to-peer access for six hours on the user's on-campus registered machines."
How pointless is this? First off, people need to know that P2P != Illegal. Seriously, because I can download ROMs and other copyrighted work easily over HTTP should that be banned too? I can download others via FTP. I can download still others over various chat programs. The fact that P2P can allow you to easily download files quicker with less cost then with HTTP suddenly makes this technology "evil"? And before anyone says "Oh but most people download illegal things via P2P!!!", how many more illegal things do people download via HTTP? Im guessing a lot more, with "pirated" YouTube music videos being posted all the time (yet thankfully the RIAA isn't suing the users of YouTube... yet) And also, has anyone tried to download Linux ISOs of a popular distro a day to a few weeks after release via HTTP? You are lucky to get 30 KB/Second whereas with P2P you can top 200 KB/Second easily.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
As a student at Missouri S&T, there are a few things I didn't see in the article.
* Several of the questions use double negatives so you really have to stop and think about what a True/False question is really asking.
* If you don't get a perfect score, you have to wait two minutes before you can retake the test. And the questions are different each time. Sometimes the double negatives have been removed causing you to trip on the same question twice, just because it looked very similar to the one asked two minutes earlier.
Also, I wasted two of my six P2P sessions just trying to get my client set up to jump through all their hoops.
Google hit #1 for "Missouri University copyright quiz"
is
From http://mizzouit.missouri.edu/security/dmca-quiz.html
which states:
"If you have downloaded copyright-protected files without paying for them then, quite simply, you have broken the law."
No, quite simply, that statement is bullshit as well as many other statements on that page. It is under-informed fear mongering and spreading the big-media meme that downloading and sharing is somehow bad.
There are many options (including our site) for people who own copyrights to distribute creative works, get financial sponsorship, or distribute their works for free if they choose to - and furthermore to allow others to distribute their works for them if they license their work in away to enable it. While these issues (downloading, payment, redistribution, illegal actions) are all closely connected to the copyright on the content, making such a blanket statement is irresponsible.
Paying for content rarely enables sharing today. It is the *licensing* and the actual laws are the important part for users to understand when they download or redistribute content. People need to read and understand the licenses and the law to know if they are breaking them.
Here's an actual test I was presented with. I'm a Missouri S&T student.
Some files shared on Peer-to-Peer networks are actually viruses
* False
* True
Do you intend to infringe copyright?
* Yes
* No
If a student receives a first DMCA violation notice he/she will lose network access for a minimum of
* 14 calendar days
* None of these
* All of these
* Until he/she passes the "Safe and Legal Computing" course
What is the difference between copying a friend's CD and downloading music?
* It is only legal to copy a friend's CD
* It is legal to download the song
* They are both legal
* They are both illegal
Do you agree to abide by the Acceptable Usage Policy?
* No
* Yes
Copyright protection lasts for:
* 14 years
* Life of the creator
* 25 years
* Life of the creator plus 70 years
further stupid is that the test can only be taken 8 times a month. 48 hours of access monthly...
upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time