Copyrighted material, file sharing and illegal downloading
As of 2009 the Higher Education Opportunity Act, H.R. 4137, requires Bluffton University to make provisions that will reduce the number of illegal file sharing activities. Specifically, we would like to eliminate illegal uploading, downloading and file sharing practices of copyrighted materials via Bluffton’s network. These provisions include:
- Educate students on copyrighted work and file sharing
- Clearly and concisely state Bluffton’s policy on file sharing
- Describe the consequences of illegal sharing
- Offer alternatives to illegal file sharing
- Publish these documents and policies in both the Student Handbook and the Bluffton Web site
Copyright:
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary: copyright is defined as: “the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary, musical or artistic work).”
In most cases, if you do not have permission from the appropriate source to download, upload or share, you are violating the law. Doing so without permission, is neither appropriate nor acceptable use of Bluffton’s network. Some examples of copyrighted works include: books, articles, songs, movies, television productions, pictures and computer software.
Bluffton University copyright policy
It is the policy of Bluffton University that all constituents respect and adhere to the intellectual rights of others. All rights remain with the original creator. In the case of violations, Bluffton reserves the right to take appropriate action.
Consequences/appropriate action for misuse
Copyright infringements could result in temporary and/or permanent loss of network connectivity. In addition students may be referred to the dean of students for violation of Bluffton’s code of conduct. As always when breaking any law there could be criminal charges and/or civil penalties assessed.
Legal alternatives
There are many legal alternatives for obtaining legal digital content:
Documentation
