The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires all colleges and universities to offer legal alternatives to unauthorized downloading. The list at the bottom of this page includes all of the legitimate online services that are approved by the RIAA or MPAA. No endorsement or evaluation is intended. To suggest additions or provide other input, contact policy@educause.edu.
Note: Some of the sites listed provide some or all content at no charge; they are funded by advertising or represent artists who want their material distributed for free, or for other reasons. Just because content is free doesn't mean it's illegal. On the other hand, you may find websites offering to sell content which are not on the list below. Just because content is not free doesn't mean it's legal.
Books: In addition to music and movies, the Internet is being used for the unauthorized distribution of books, including textbooks. For legal sources of electronic versions of textbooks and other written works, see this web page from the Association of American Publishers.
Other Resources for Legal Downloading
Legal Alternatives for Downloading
Updated May 23, 2012
