Athens, Ohio - Ohio University has announced plans to take the drastic step of restricting the use of all peer-to-peer file-sharing applications on its campus computer network.

"The network is a shared resource, and we must ensure that it is available to all users," said Ohio University chief information officer Brice Bible.

"Peer-to-peer file-sharing consumes a disproportionate amount of resources, both in bandwidth and human technical support."

The school estimated that staff members have spent "nearly 120 hours" dealing with 100 pre-litigation letters sent by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as copyright infringement lawsuits filed against suspected campus file-swappers.

Beginning on Friday, computers found using file-sharing programs will be automatically kicked off the network; a second violation will result in the user's referral to University Judiciaries.

The school also noted that, "although P2P file-sharing can sometimes be used for legitimate reasons, any use of P2P software on the campus network may result in Internet access being disabled," referring individuals who need to use P2P software for legitimate purposes to the school's IT department.

Related Links:

http://www.ohio.edu/students/filesharing.cfm

http://technology.ohio.edu/help/blocked-faq.html