Recent legislation giving federal law enforcement agents more power in enforcing intellectual property (IP) laws puts new pressure on organizations to audit their users and protect against illegal file downloads. The Prioritizing Resources & Organization for Intellectual Property Act (H.R. 4279), which was passed by an overwhelming majority of the Congress, increases the criminal and civil penalties for piracy and counterfeiting. In addition, it creates an IP enforcement division within the Department of Justice headed by an IP "Czar" responsible for coordinating enforcement efforts among various federal law enforcement agencies. This legislation governs U.S.-owned IP including pharmaceuticals and manufactured goods, and artistic works such as MP3 and video files or other content transmitted electronically as well as on hard media.
Organizations that are lax in securing their networks from illegal downloads will face stiff penalties including criminal charges and having their computer equipment confiscated. Now more than ever, having a secure content management solution that monitors and blocks P2P and IM file sharing needs to be part of any organization's overall security strategy. As this law, which was passed on May 8, 2008, becomes more established with more agents working on cases, we are sure to see a huge increase in indictments. Organizations will not be let off the hook simply because they weren't aware that illegal activity was occurring on their networks. They will be as culpable to legal action as the street vendor selling bootlegged movies and CDs.
Security Confidence can assist your organization in blocking all P2P applications through the use of Fortinet's Fortigate Multi Threat Security Solutions - the leader in UTM (Unified Threat Management) security devices.
