Student Infringement of Media Copyright Policy 

 Policy 

As stated in ConnecticutCollege’s Appropriate Use Policy for Computer and Information Resources, the College data network may not be used to violate copyright laws. It is a federal crime to distribute or download copyrighted music, movies, or software on the Internet without permission from the copyright owner. Students are responsible for the appropriate use of the College network under the Student Code of Conduct and the Honor Code.  

The College will notify students when an alleged infringement is reported to Information Services. Students who do not respond within one week are reported to the Dean of Student Life for additional action and their network access is suspended. Any student identified for subsequent violations will be reported directly to the Dean of Student Life for potential adjudication under the Honor Code and network access immediately suspended.  

Guidance on how to legally obtain online music and media content is provided on the Information Services’ website, Copyright Resources @ Connecticut College; P2P and Legal Media Online.

Procedures  

The following internal procedures will be followed by the Project Office Manager as a representative of the College’s Designated Copyright Agent when notification is received from the Recording Industry of America (RIAA), or other industry representatives, indicating that the college’s network has been used to illegally download, distribute or share copyrighted media material online:

  1. On receipt of a notification from the RIAA or other industry representative, the Project Office Manager will record the notification details on the log sheet using information provided in the notification.
  2. The Network Security Office will be contacted to identify the user/computer connected with the I.P. address identified in the notification.
  3. An electronic copy of the industry notification will be forwarded to the student asking that the illegal activity cease and related media files be removed from their machine.
  4. The student must immediately remove the unauthorized media from their machine, remove the program used to enable file sharing and state in writing to the Project Officer Manager within one week that all illegal file sharing activity will cease.
  5. Students may contact the College’s IT Service Desk to request assistance with the process of removing any unauthorized content or file sharing programs.
  6. Once the student has complied with the request or has submitted a counter response in writing, the Project Office Manager will mark the incident as “resolved.” No further administrative action will be taken.
  7. Students certain that the alleged infringing media has been obtained legally or feel that the copyright owner has misidentified the material may respond denying the allegation.  In either case, the student must respond by e-mail or contact the College’s Project Office Manager within one week. 

On receipt of a pre-litigation notification from the RIAA or other industry representative, the Designated Copyright Agent will:

  1. Forward the settlement letter to the student;  Refrain from offering legal advice to the student;
  2. Refuse to disclose the identity of the student unless presented with a subpoena or other legally valid written document.  
  3. Students who receive a "settlement letter” -are personally responsible for determining how to respond to the RIAA and whether to consult with an attorney.