Dear UCI Students,
This is an annual notification sent to all students about UCI’s policies on copyright. The Internet is an essential tool for both academic and everyday pursuits, expanding and enriching our lives. Along with these benefits come challenges and responsibilities. One of the most critical is conforming to copyright laws.
Trading of copyrighted music, movies, games, and software over the Internet is generally illegal. You must have the consent of the copyright holder to make copies. This includes streaming or downloading content.
UCI abides by the provisions of the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)(https://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf), which requires a prompt response to claims of copyright infringement by copyright holders or their agents.
If the campus receives an allegation of copyright infringement based on your use of the UCI network via an IP address assigned to you (including access through a UCI virtual private network/VPN - https://www.oit.uci.edu/help/vpn), the matter is referred to the Office of Academic Integrity & Student Conduct for further investigation. If you are found responsible after meeting with the Office of Academic Integrity & Student Conduct, you are subject to UCI disciplinary action including, but not limited to the following:
- Loss of network access at UCI. You could be prohibited from using the internet at UCI for the remainder of the quarter or the academic year.
- Restitution or community service.
- Suspension or dismissal from the University.
The consequences of copyright infringement extend outside of the campus. Copyright holders may seek civil liability and even criminal prosecution. Universities, including several UC campuses, have been served with subpoenas demanding the identification of individuals who are alleged to have violated copyright laws.
Another reason to be very careful with file sharing programs is that the installation procedures for most can leave your computer in a state where other people on the Internet have access to much of the data on your hard drive, not just the music and videos. Thus, the integrity of your computer and personal information can be compromised through illegal file sharing, including making you vulnerable to "identity theft." Your computer should be configured to share only those materials you have the right to share and want to share, such as documents, photos, and music that you create.
To facilitate student access to legal sources of music online, UCI has created a web page listing some of the legal sources of music and video online (https://aisc.uci.edu/students/dmca.php).
Please review UCI's computer and network policy, as well as the other references included below.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kim Burdett
Director
Office of Academic Integrity & Student Conduct
Dr. Ellen Whitehead
Acting Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Students
Student Life & Leadership
Kian Colestock
Chief Information Officer
Associate Vice Chancellor
Office of Information Technology
[1] Computer and Network Use Policy
http://www.policies.uci.edu/policies/pols/714-18.php
[2] UCI Copyright Policy Resources
http://www.oit.uci.edu/policy/copyright
[3] UCI Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations, and Students
https://aisc.uci.edu/policies/pacaos/grounds-for-discipline.php
