Curb Illegal Downloading on College Campuses Act of 2007

    The goal of this bill is to combat illegal downloading on university campuses.   In the ‘findings’ section of the bill, it states that illegal downloading of a variety of mediums are used and have been used increasingly on university and college campuses. It also claims that peer-to-peer file sharing puts a strain on the university and costs the university money. Congress also finds that illegal downloading puts the university networks at a higher risk of being infected with computer viruses. The last point made in congress’ findings is that programs that stop illegal downloading can do so without violating the privacy of students or their academics. The bill also amends the ‘Higher Education Act’ of 1965 by adding support for pilot programs and policies that reduce the amount of illegal downloading.

    This bill that was introduced in the House is valuable to my topic because it provides congress' standings on the relationship between universities and file sharing. The bill demonstrates that congress recognizes the downfalls of file sharing, not only from a legal standpoint but also from the effect it has on universities. Although the bill supports the fight against illegal downloading, it does not necessarily make universities responsible, nor does it directly support the RIAA.