Peer-to-Peer Policy

Peer-to-peer applications are defined as programs, which allow computers to share data in the form of music, movies, games or any computer file or software over a local network and the Internet.

Queens University of Charlotte does not prohibit, at this time, and does not block the use of peer-to-peer applications on any part of its network. The university understands that there are legitimate academic uses for such applications. However, use of these applications has been known to cause problems, which can affect the entire university community.

Queens University of Charlotte expects that all computers and networks on the campus will be used in a manner consistent with the Acceptable Use Policy and compliant with applicable law. The university will not protect a user from a copyright complaint. A user is not protected because he/she has received material at no cost or has distributed material without charging.

The university will endeavor to see that the community is not adversely affected by the use of peer-to-peer programs. When such programs are seen to affect the network in a manner not consistent with university policies or are degrading the performance of the network, appropriate action will be taken against the user. In addition, bandwidth management technology will be used on the network to make sure peer-to-peer programs do not degrade network speeds.