URHnet Copyright Policy

One issue that has grown in the public spotlight over the last few years is the distribution of copyrighted materials over the Internet.  Many materials are freely shared (illegally) over the Internet, such as songs, movies, tv programs, and computer software.

URHnet Policies

Copyright violations are a serious matter.  If a resident is in obvious violation of copyright law by using the campus network to distribute copyrighted materials, the resident's port will be turned off at minimum, and the issue could be sent to Student Judicial Affairs. For more information on what happens when you receive a copyright violation notice see Copyright Information.

MP3s

A good example of copyright law can be given with MP3s. The MP3 file format has become a hot topic in recent years - but what is it? MP3 files are new technology that has allowed us to store high quality, digital music in computer files. While storing sound on computers isn't a new thing, the CD-quality and relatively small size of MP3 files is new - allowing anyone with a computer to replicate multiple copies of music at sale-able quality. In recent years, as hard drives have gotten larger, computers have gotten faster, and computer literacy has increased, the proliferation of digital data being traded has increased. Today, and especially on college campuses, the MP3 is most common way to transfer digital sound online. For more information visit Campus Downloading.

Why some MP3’s are illegal:

If the digital MP3 format is so common, what's the talk of MP3s being illegal? The answer is that the MP3 technology isn't illegal in the slightest. The sticky part is not the file, but the content in the file. Most songs published on CD or other sources of digital sound are originally owned and copyrighted by artists and their publishers. These artists make their money from the sale of their music - whether enjoyed on radio, or bought on CD at the local audio-video store. The owner's right to copy or not to copy the song is protected by law.

As MP3 technology has become popular, increasing amounts of copyrighted media has also been transferred among users. Whether knowingly or not, most MP3 users are violating the law by copying or holding material that does not belong to them. The conclusion? Here's the hard stuff:

If you have in your possession MP3 files, but do not own the songs on legally purchased CD’s, or have some other way of showing legal ownership (receipts of MP3’s purchased online), it is a violation of law. Copyright infringements are punishable by 5 years in prison, and a $100,000 fine per incident (that is for each illegal song owned). A federal criminal penalty of $250,000 could also apply. To learn more music piracy and the law, check out the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) or visit Campus Downloading.

So what does this mean in the University Residence Hall world? The University is legally bound to prevent the transfer of illegal material if such material is transferred in an obvious manner. Such a manner would include, but is not limited to, open shares on Network Neighborhood, a personal web server, advertisements on newsgroups, and the heavy use of internet traffic between servers known to be involved with illegal music trade (e.g. Napster and Imesh). The University does not monitor precisely what is transmitted over the network unless a court order is provided. However, the university is required by law to stop obvious infringement, like the examples given above. If caught, this action will entail a shut down of the internet access port in your room. See Copyright Info for more information.

For your information what you can legally do with your music, the RIAA web site again provides some excellent information. For more information on Software Piracy visit Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.