Office of the Chief Information Officer
June 21, 2010
Stony Brook University requires every student to read and certify that they agree to comply with the terms of the Student Conduct Code. Specific language in the Conduct Code dealing with copyrighted material is included in this agreement. The Compliance process for students requires that they agree to the terms of the policy before they are allowed to register for classes.
The Registrar's Office notifies all students annually about FERPA and Consumer Compliance regulations.
Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement.
Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or "statutory" damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For "willful" infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys' fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505.
Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.
For more information, please see the website of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov, particularly its FAQ section at www.copyright.gov/help/faq.
The University continues to use appropriate technology to reduce and/or eliminate the practice of illegally sharing copyrighted material. Known vectors used to share files are blocked from the campus.
In addition, the students are bound by existing University policies that specifically prohibit the use of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright holder. Violators of the policy are subject to the removal of their network access and referral to the Office of Community Standards.
A comprehensive list of legal downloading sites is available from Educause. A link to this resource is available on various pages in Student Affairs, Teaching, Learning + Technology, and the Division of Information Technology. The University encourages all students to take advantage of these resources.
In 2011/2012, this plan will be reviewed based on outside complaints for illegal file sharing. Technology-based solutions will continuously be evaluated and implemented if deemed necessary to combat illegal file sharing.