<p>(Sorry if this had been asked I tried using the search function and it couldn't find any matches)</p>
<p>Okay well I have asked a decent amount of students about illegal downloading at USC and for the most part they gave me "sketchy responses." For example I heard that you CAN illegally download for the most part, just make sure not to go over 10 gigabytes a day of illegal downloads or they might start to watch what you are doing with your bandwidth.</p>
<p>I know that there is like a 3 strikes rule for the most part, but how is illegal downloading for most students. Also I would prefer it to be first-hand experience, I don't want to hear anyone posting, that it is wrong to illegally download or that it is risky. I know it is risky but I want to know if anyone here has actually been caught, or is it just a rule they wave in the air but don't enforce. Thanks</p>
<p>From what I understand if you are downloading they don’t go after you if your not downloading a lot per day. If you are hosting then it becomes a problem, and they enforce the rules</p>
<p>A few guys on my floor this year did get caught for illegal downloading. I believe for their offenses, they had their internet cut off temporarily. Also, they had to talk with judicial affairs and write an essay about like why it’s bad or wrong to download illegally. So yes, there are consequences if you’re caught, but you’re not expelled for the first offense you’re caught.</p>
<p>I torrented the whole year, never had a problem, just don’t go over the limit. I got a warning here and there but that’s because I went over. It’s something like 2 or 3 gb/every 2 hours and 10gb/day.</p>
<p>Awesome stuff, so for the most part just limit how much I am downloading/uploading per hour (and day)? Sounds pretty good, I hear at the UC’s they are far stricter? Ouch</p>
<p>He’s talking about bandwidth. Playing video games does count as using bandwidth, but it’s nothing like torrenting and you can’t get in trouble for it if that’s all that’ you’re doing.</p>
<p>In other words, if you get in trouble for going over the limit playing online games, you should be more concerned with your grades than getting in trouble for it.</p>
<p>Stealing is stealing. Would you post here to ask how USC will treat stealing from other students? Probably wouldn’t post that here, eh? Would you write an essay to gain admission that boasts how much content stealing you get away with? Probably not. Would you qualify your question to this forum with warnings that you don’t want to hear that your behavior is wrong if you didn’t already know it? </p>
<p>If you don’t realize that stealing music or any other content hurts the artists you admire, and you don’t care about making moral choices that do require some sacrifice since you are now an adult, you should really think about karma.</p>
<p>^haha seriously. anyway op, I recommend you download a program called “Mojo”. It connects to other people on your internet network (so basically everyone in your dorm) and enables you go through their itunes and download whatever you want. It’s so nice and the download speed is really quick.</p>
<p>They watch you if they think you are torrenting… like they’ll send you a mail every day about how they know you are torrenting.</p>
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<p>I think I went over my limit once last sem and they caught onto me. Peerguardian apparently didn’t stop them because even after updating it they knew I was torrenting. I wasn’t dl anything illegal over here so not much problem even if I get caught though.</p>
<p>I did get caught twice for going over my limit but once again, not really illegal over here the stuff I was downloading (Korean tv shows)</p>
<p>My friend did get an email from RIAA though for downloading music on torrent. That’s why I would stay away from downloading music at least on torrent…</p>
<p>"MINNEAPOLIS – The attorney for the Minnesota woman found liable for sharing copyright-protected music on the Internet says he expects the $1.9 million verdict to be reversed on appeal.</p>
<p>Attorney Kiwi Camara said Friday that 32-year-old Jammie Thomas-Rasset of Brainerd plans to appeal Thursday’s verdict. Her legal team will take a few days to decide on the specific legal grounds, but the size of the fine will probably be part of it.</p>
<p>He questions the nearly $2 million fine for distributing 24 songs sold legally for less than a dollar each.</p>
<p>Camara predicts a federal appeals court will order a third trial. Thomas-Rasset went on trial in 2007, but the presiding judge ordered a retrial after deciding he gave the jury improper instructions.</p>
<p>A recording industry spokeswoman had no comment."</p>
<p>USC is being very reasonable with allowing legal p2p with huge bandwidth caps and giving students the benefit of the doubt in terms of assuming p2p traffic is legal…plz don’t abuse and force them to crack down on all p2p whether it’s legal or not…</p>
<p>Madbean, thank you for contributing nothing in this topic! Pirating music helps bands get their name out in the open, did you know that most bands receive less than 10% of their record sales (most of which goes towards the record company). So instead of buying their cds I buy tickets to their shows which gives them much more direct funds so that they can continue playing/recording music. (Also it’s not my fault that you probably don’t have the knowledge of how to use torrents, not that it’s complicated you are just too naive to learn).</p>
<p>Thanks again for the comments looks like Ill just have utorrent running at my dorm during the hours I’m in class with a limited rate of 200 kbps, that way I won’t go over 2gb an hour or 10gb a day. Thanks for the information!</p>
<p>btw Madbean I was interviewed for trustee and I actually talked about my role in the music industry and how I decided to place my music ON various torrent websites so my name could be seen and heard. Sure enough I got trustee, so if you are wondering if I would boast about my involvement in the music community as a “nuisance” I did and so far it has gotten me a 180~k scholarship.</p>
<p>xo, there is a big difference betweem placing your music online for free downloading in order to promote your material and taking commercial music without paying for it. If you mentioned that you believe in freely stealing content off the internet in your Trustee interview, I’m pretty surprised they didn’t object. I really thought this is an illegal practice.</p>
<p>I know a lot of people do it, so I get how much a part of the culture this practice is–but it seems like a lot of people justify getting around the system by demonizing the music industry (which is not a debate we need to get into here). I guess the question that I must ask is, is it okay to steal from people you don’t like? </p>
<p>And btw, my reactions have set off a lot of venom here. I’m just reflecting on the legality and morality of stealing what you don’t pay for which seems perfectly fine to many of you, but I wonder why? That may seem like an attack, but if this material is not free, why take it? </p>
<p>As many of you may know, a lot of USC alums and parents answer questions on this forum to help students as you worried your way through the admissions process, setting up your schedules, etc. But asking for help in circumventing USC’s pirating regulations is kind of blatant.</p>
And robbing banks helps the economy by getting those dollars out in the open… </p>
<p>You are not “helping” those bands. If you have any doubts, at the next show you go to, if you are lucky enough to meet the band members, be sure to tell them you are “helping” them by illegally pirating their music. You are ridiculous.</p>