COPYRIGHT AND PIRACY POLICY

The District supports the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which outline efforts to eliminate the illegal distribution of copyrighted material. Under the law, college administrators may be obligated to provide copyright holders with information about users of the District’s information network who have violated the law. Accordingly, students are prohibited from using the information network to illegally download and/or share music, video and all other copyrighted intellectual property. Illegal forms of downloading and file sharing as well as the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials are violations of the law and may subject offenders to academic sanctions from the College as well as criminal and civil penalties, including a lawsuit brought by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition to being illegal, file sharing drains the District’s network bandwidth, which slows computer connections for students and employees who are using the network for legitimate academic purposes and ultimately creates an unnecessary financial burden to the College. Board Policy 3710 and Administrative Procedure 3710 Intellectual Property and Copyright are policies with consequences to ensure that students properly use the information network and respect music and other forms of intellectual property as well as conduct responsible use of the Internet.