Self Help - Copyright Violations
Violation of Copyright Law is a Federal Offense
Using a computer to copy or store any copyrighted material (text, images, music, movies, computer programs, etc.) is a violation of state and federal law, and leaves you liable, on conviction, to heavy fines and possibly imprisonment.
We block peer-to-peer file sharing on the Geneseo campus for three many reasons:
The federal government will withhold all financial aid from Geneseo students if the college doesn't block peer-to-peer transmissions of copyright-protected material.
Most peer-to-peer traffic is copyright-protected.
All peer-to-peer traffic slows Internet speeds for everyone.
Many files distributed via p2p file sharing protocols are infected with malware or viruses.
What kinds of activities are probably violations of copyright law?
Copying and sharing most
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music, images, movies, or other copyrighted material by using "peer to peer" programs like BitTorrent,
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FrostWire, etc.
Setting up file shares with copyrighted material.
Unauthorized downloading anything of which you don't already own a copy
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, including software,
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music, movies, etc
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.
Are MP3s audio files illegal?
Some MP3s audio files can be legally obtained through online subscription services or from sites officially permitted by the copyright holders to offer certain MP3 downloads. Some are copyright free. Most MP3s audio files don't fall into either category. MP3 files Digital recordings are completely legal, but it's illegal to have MP3s of digital music recordings that you don't already own, or to which you haven't obtained the rights. In most cases, sharing MP3s media over the Geneseo campus network is also illegal. Copyright laws allow you to create MP3s digital audio files only for your personal use and only of songs to which you already have rights. You can make MP3s digital audio files only of songs for which you already own the CD or tape, known as a "transfer of copy". And personal use means for you alone - you can't make copies and give or sell them to other people.
How could I get caught if I violate copyright law?
Geneseo uses multiple network appliances to police our network for illegal activity, and we must respond to formal legal complaints we receive. Organizations like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) frequently police file-sharing programs networks for copyrighted material belonging to the artists they represent. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Geneseo has responded to several RIAA complaints of copyright violations for sharing music from ResNet student computers on the Geneseo network. In addition to civil action, local campus disciplinary action may be taken against offenders.
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What if the file sharing I am doing is actually legal?
There are some legitimate uses of peer-to-peer software. Unfortunately, technology does not exist today for us to exempt these legal uses of the technology from our monitoring system. If you are wrongly identified, explain it to us, and we will understand. We will work collaborate with you to find a compromise situation so that allows you to can do what you need to do while we meet our legal obligations. This may include registering your system with us, so that we can modify how your computer connects to the Internet. This may also mean changing settings in your programs and applications. For example, World of Warcraft and Spyware Eliminator, both legitimate applications, download updates using BitTorrent by default - but they don't need to - they can both be configured to download updates directly. WoW players should keep this url handy: http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/21079.
DMCA Copyright Agent Contact Information
Enrico Coloccia
SUNY Geneseo
1 College Circle
, South Hall Room 124119
Geneseo, NY 14454
Phone: 585-245-5577
Email: coloccia@geneseo.edu
For more information...
US Code Title 17 (actual law) http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17
Music United http://www.musicunited.org/
Respect Copyrights http://www.respectcopyrights.org
Electronic Frontier Foundation http://www.eff.org/share
More Help
For questions about Copyright Violations or other computer related problems, contact Ask CIT! Visit the CIT HelpDesk . Stop by Milne in the Fraser Library, send an email to helpdesk@geneseo.edu or call 245-5588.