| 1. | WHAT IS THE JOINT COMMITTEE AND WHY WAS IT FORMED? |
| | The Joint Committee was formed in December 2002 to discuss and address matters of mutual concern between higher education institutions and the content community, including the steady growth of peer-to-peer network use on college campuses. While peer-to-peer technology itself is a development that may play an important role in the computing and communications systems of the nation, the widespread unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material on peer-to-peer systems such as Kazaa is a concern not only for copyright owners but also for those who administer university networks. The Joint Committee formed three task forces, including a Technology Task Force, whose mandate is to find, characterize, and document potential technology solutions that may be used to address issues concerning distribution of copyrighted content and bandwidth usage by peer-to-peer systems. That task force developed the Request for Information (RFI). |
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| 2. | WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE RFI? |
| | The goal of the RFI is to identify and document all available technologies that might be used by universities and colleges to address issues such as bandwidth allocation and the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material on peer-to-peer systems via the campus network. After a period of review by Joint Committee representatives, a report documenting the technical characteristics of proposed solutions will then be distributed to university and college representatives for review and consideration. The idea is to create a reliable knowledge base of information about the technologies available for addressing copyright infringement on peer-to-peer networks. |
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| 3. | WHY IS THE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY CONCERNED ABOUT PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING?
ISN'T THAT THE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES' PROBLEM? |
| | Colleges and universities have long been concerned with copyright infringement, however it occurs, as well as with bandwidth consumption, and seek appropriate solutions that do not impede the flow of information necessary for teaching, learning, and research. |
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| 4. | WILL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES BE OBLIGED TO USE ANY OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES? |
| | No. The RFI is expected to generate a knowledge base of information about available technologies that colleges and universities can turn to if they so choose. That decision is up to each institution. Some institutions may elect to explore specific technologies further by subsequently conducting pilot testing. |
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| 5. | HOW AND WHEN DO TECHNOLOGY VENDORS NEED TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE? |
| | The RFI is being issued on April 28, 2003, with responses due June 2, 2003. |
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| 6. | WHAT IS THE DESIRED RESPONSE TO THE RFI? |
| | The Joint Committee Technology Task Force hopes for extensive responses from members of the technology community, both large and small. There clearly are a number of vendors already known to some of our technology professionals; others may be developing and/or offering relevant technologies as well. The more we can learn about these vendors and the technologies they offer, the better the higher education and entertainment communities will be served. |
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