File-sharing software (used to distribute files over a peer-to-peer file-sharing network) still has nebulous legal status in the United States of America (the location of the parent company behind the Straight Dope Message Board), and is often used for copyright violations.
At the SDMB we take copyright violations seriously and this is an issue close to the heart for the owners of the SDMB (the Chicago Reader). For this reason, we ask our posters to refrain from discussions on how to use file-sharing software at the SDMB.
Debates on the legality of this practice are allowed, but do not ask questions of the type “How do I get this peer-to-peer sharing software to work?” or “Can someone help me find a copy of (song or movie clip) using peer-to-peer sharing software?”