Terms and Definitions

Here is a list of terms associated with copyright infringement and digital piracy.

  • attorney's fees

    Under United States law, attorney's fees are available for the prevailing copyright holder in an infringement lawsuit, if the registration of the copyright was made more than three months before the infringement occured.

  • BitTorrent

    BitTorrent refers to an internet file sharing protocol that uses meta files to reference the location on the internet where a particular file is available for download. A file can be downloaded from multiple online sources at a time directly, without the use of a centralized server.

  • cease and desist

    After a source of online copyright has been identified, a cease and desist letter can be sent to the responsible infringer to attempt removal of the copyrighted content. The cease and desist letter is often combined with a settlement demand for the unauthorized use of the copyrighted work.

  • copyright law

    United States copyright law is the statutory framework and the case law (court decisions) that comprise the legal protection for creative works in the United States and its protectorates. U.S. copyright law often serves as the model for international law and in other countries.

  • damages

    Under U.S. copyright law, monetary damages are available to the holder of the copyright for infringement, to compensate the copyright holder for the lost licensing fees. If statutory damages are not available, then the copyright holder must prove the damages, but any profits made by the infringer may serve as a measure of damages. If statutory damages are available, then the court may set the damages starting at $750 per infringement.

  • download / downloader

    A download refers to when a file is copied (i.e., downloaded) from the internet to the downloader's computer hard drive.

  • internet file sharing

    Internet file sharing refers to the various protocols by which digital files are shared over the internet between computers. This includes sharing text, image, video, music, software programs, and other file types, on decentralized and centralized networks or websites.

  • internet service provider (ISP)

    An internet service provider is a company which provides internet access connections to businesses and homes, whether by copper, fiber optic, wireless, satellite, or mixed networks.

  • peer-to-peer (P2P) networks

    Peer-to-peer networks refers to a protocol for sharing files over the internet where computers on the network (peers) can connect and download files from other peers, with or without the use of a centralized server. Peer-to-peer networks now are typically completely decentralized, similar to the BitTorrent protocol, without a centralized server providing indexing services of the files available for download from peers.

  • upload / uploader

    A upload refers to when a file on the uploader's computer is made available to be downloaded by others over the internet. The uploaded file is often times referred to as a 'seed', and the uploader, a 'seeder'.