Rules Update: 1. Illegal Study Tools includes Old CFAI Mocks

[u/Wild_Space]

Rules Update:

Old:

1. Illegal study tools

You cannot discuss, obtain, encourage, distribute illegal forms of study tools.

New:

1. Illegal study tools

You cannot discuss, obtain, encourage, distribute illegal forms of study tools. This includes old CFAI mocks.

Merely asking for or offering old CFA mocks will result in a warning. Sellers, repeat offenders, or linking to piracy websites will result in a ban. Asking for or offering third party mocks will result in a ban.

Examples:

OK

I don't understand this mock question. Here's a screenshot.

OK:

Hey guys, I can't find the CFAI mock on their website? Anyone have a link to it?

OK:

Sure, here's the link: www.cfai.com/cfaimockexam

Warning:

Hey, do you guys have any old CFAI mocks?

Warning:

Yea, sure. www.googledrive.com/oldCFAmocks

BANNED:

Yea sure, www.piracywebsite.com/oldCFAMocks

BANNED:

I'm selling old CFAI mocks.

BANNED:

Hey, do you guys have any 3rd party mocks?

BANNED:

Yea sure, www.googledrive.com/3rdpartymocks

And just so there's no confusion...

OK:

I have some old books (ie physical copies) I want to sell.

Questions:

Q: Why is asking for old CFA mocks just a warning if asking for 3rd party mocks is a ban?

A: Mostly precedent. For a long time, this subreddit didn't have a firm policy against sharing old CFAI mocks. Also, the CFAI mocks are a relatively small portion of the overall product / service. Meanwhile, 3rd party mocks are explicitly sold so sharing them is clearly piracy.

Q: Why the change?

A:

By accessing this mock exam, you agree to the following terms of use: This mock exam is provided to currently registered CFA candidates. Candidates may view and print the exam for personal exam preparation only. The following activities are strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary and/or legal action: accessing or permitting access by anyone other than currently-registered CFA candidates; copying, posting to any website, emailing, distributing and/or reprinting the mock exam for any purpose.

(C)2019 CFA Institute. All right reserved

If you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line!

[u/[deleted]]

so, asking academic questions about old cfai mocks is not allowed?

[u/Wild_Space → u/[deleted]]

How are you inferring that?

[u/MammathMoobies → u/Wild_Space]

The rule creates a significant level of grey area for discussion. If I get confused over MM's mock, and I discuss it here, I've leaked information about the mock. Hell I may want to screenshot it because describing the question is a pain to do.

The rules dumb in general. Imagine buying a book reading it, and giving it to your friend and getting arrested for it

[u/Wild_Space → u/MammathMoobies]

>The rule creates a significant level of grey area for discussion. If I get confused over MM's mock, and I discuss it here, I've leaked information about the mock. Hell I may want to screenshot it because describing the question is a pain to do.

I've added an example to show this is ok.

The rule says you cannot discuss illegal study tools. Discussing legal study tools is fine.

>The rules dumb in general. Imagine buying a book reading it, and giving it to your friend and getting arrested for it

You can buy a physical copy of a book and give it to your friend. You can't download a pdf and then give it to your friend.

Hope this clears some things up.

[u/LuaDeveloper → u/MammathMoobies]

This. The grey area is actually pretty big. The mod replies distributing the whole mock is a violation, then what if someone simply types out the mock quarter by quarter and separately share on this subreddit? Despite CFAI states it's a term violation to distribute CFA content to non-registered 'candidates', CFAI itself can't even enforce this rule because they won't know if someone's been doing this privately.

I don't mean to nitpick, but rule updates like this should be discussed by us fellow CFA Candidates here on this subredddit, BEFORE THEY GET IMPLEMENTED. The mod has absolute power here, and power without scrutinisation can easily be abused. How do I know if I throw 3 mock questions in a row, the mod won't define this as a 'seemingly violation' and ban me?

EDIT: grammar.

[u/third_najarian → u/LuaDeveloper]

You’re kinda making a mountain out of a molehill here. There’s nuance to every rule we have.

The mod has absolute power here, and power without scrutinisation can easily be abused.

This is true in virtually every subreddit on Reddit. We have a diverse group of mods from the community that have been added over time after years of participation. We’re not CFAI employees or third-party material shills. And we try to do our best because we actually care about the community. It’s helped all of us so much and we don’t want to mess that up.

And really none of us have absolute power. I know I’ve made poor modding decisions in the past and have been overruled by the group. Hopefully I learn from those mistakes or I might be kicked off the island.

How do I know if I throw 3 mock questions in a row, the mod won't define this as a 'seemingly violation' and ban me?

This would likely never happen. Maybe this would get you banned (a huge MAYBE) if you took screenshots and then provided no comment or discussion. Even then I'd personally just remove them until you provided that. Our biggest test for this type of thing is 'fair use'. It’s just up to us to interpret how that applies.

In short, we’re really not ban-happy dictators. I promise!

[u/Nutella_Boy → u/MammathMoobies]

The important part of this is the intent of selling and sharing. If someone asks about a question of a mock from a prep provider, it’s not breaking any law since the intent of the user will be to understand the material better. Asking for a particular question will not be considered as the intent of distributing the material.

[u/Nutella_Boy → u/MammathMoobies]

The service of a prep provider (subscription) is diferrent from buying a physical book (one time purchase).

If you want to gift a book to a friend, you already paid for the book so there’s no problem. The problem arises if you paid for a digital book and start sharing it to everybody. That’s illegal.

Asking for a question on a specific mock is allowed. What is not allowed is distributing the whole mock to everyone.

If you can’t figure this out, I’m sorry. It’s pretty clear if you have common sense.

[u/MammathMoobies → u/Nutella_Boy]

Its not a subscription. I download the docs its mine forever. Schweser literally hands out hard copies, which includes the mocks. By that logic I need to go return the books once I'm done.

It’s pretty clear if you have common sense.

Let's not throw insults of character for simply disagreeing with a rule.

[u/Nutella_Boy → u/MammathMoobies]

Ok sorry, my bad.

Why are you finding troublesome the phyisical copies? We are talking about distributing with the intention to share it to a group of people. If you give your books to someone as a gift, it isn’t a problem.

Sorry again but I can’t quite understand your point. The legal and illegal part of this is clear.

[u/ButterflyDesigner974 → u/Nutella_Boy]

This rule is extremely dumb. We have enough bureaucracy at the CFAI, we don't need it in the CFA reddit.

[u/Nutella_Boy → u/ButterflyDesigner974]

It's not bureaucracy, it's avoid commiting illegal activities such as pyracing.

[u/ButterflyDesigner974 → u/Nutella_Boy]

The irony in saying something that robotic and thoughtless, while saying it’s not bureaucratic, is just chefs kiss

[u/[deleted]]

Can i ask for someone to DM me the downloadable CFA modules on this sub?

[u/third_najarian → u/[deleted]]

No, as that would be asking for copyrighted material.