What Should I Know About Filesharing and P2P?
Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs have become a popular way to exchange music, movies, games and software over the Internet. Academic applications of these programs are also expanding. If you use P2P programs, we want you to be aware of certain personal risks.
P2P file-sharing programs are not illegal. If you own the copyright in the music, movie, software or other file you want to share, if you have the permission of the copyright holder, or if the material is not covered by copyright ["Length of copyright" charts], you can share the file. However, P2P programs are often used to distribute files without permission of the copyright holder and this is a violation of U.S. copyright law More at CUNY Site