The University warns against the illegal distribution of copyrighted material using University Resources in its Technology Resources Appropriate Use Policy. A Summary of Copyright, Photocopy and Media (including Electronic Media) Reproduction Policies can be found in the Fogcutter Student Handbook.
Responsibility for avoiding illegal use of copyrighted material lies with the individual who possesses or distributes it. A copyright guide is available from The Gleeson Library/Geschke
Center. The University does not monitor or regulate content of network traffic for any purpose other than to identify threats to the integrity of the network such as SPAM, viruses, worms, etc. We do, however, maintain the capacity to trace traffic to individual machines, times, and user IDs for these purposes.
If we receive a valid subpoena, we are obligated to turn over any electronic information we have regarding specific instances of data transmitted via our networks. Therefore, be warned that using USF networks does not protect you from detection or prosecution in committing illegal acts.
What constitutes copyright infringement?
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized distribution of copyright material,
which includes, but is not limited to, music, software, movies, and books.
There are, of course, instances where the artist or owner of the material
has given permission for free distribution. You should be aware of what material
is free to distribute and what is not. A copyright guide is available from The Gleeson Library/Geschke Center.
How do I know I'm violating copyright infringement laws?
If you have copyrighted material in your possession and you are allowing
others to get this material from you, you are violating the law. A simple
example of copyright infringement would be burning a CD with a bunch of MP3s
and giving it to a friend or giving a copy of Microsoft Office to a friend.
How do I know if I'm allowing others to take copyrighted material from me?
In ITS, our focus is to make you aware of how technology is involved in the
violation of copyright laws. The most common way to share copyrighted material
via technology is through "file sharing". There are many applications
that can do file sharing. Examples are Windows File Sharing, KaZaa, Morpheus,
Napster, WinMX, Blubster, Limewire, among others. Each of these applications
has a configuration setting to allow others to download material from your
hard drive. These applications may activate file sharing by default. So, you
may very well be sharing copyrighted material without even knowing it. You
must look for these configuration settings and turn them off to be sure that
you are not inadvertently distributing copyrighted material.
What if I want to share non-copyrighted material?
If you want to share non-copyrighted material via any of the solutions noted
above, you would need to delete all copyrighted material from your hard drive
so that that material could not be shared at the same time as the legitimate
material.
Where can I find more information on this subject?
Here is a list of informative sites regarding copyright laws:
