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Legal Filesharing

New Internet technologies, namely "peer-to-peer" file sharing applications, such as Kazaa, Limewire, BitTorrent, Morpheus, and DC++, have made it easy for Internet users to share files with one another. While file sharing via peer-to-peer applications is popular, many of the files people share are copyright protected. It is against the law to share copyrighted material unless you have the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Copyright Infringement

The University takes copyright protection very seriously. Many scholars and music artists rely on copyright to protect their intellectual property.

Peer-to-peer file sharing applications are often used to share copyrighted material such as songs, movies, software applications, and games. If you share copyrighted material without permission, you are breaking the law and could be subject to University and/or criminal sanctions. The entertainment industry has pledged to sue individuals who unlawfully share copyrighted material. Residential Networking wants you to have an enjoyable and worry-free experience on the Internet, so please do not violate copyright laws.

Please review our Responsible Use Policy and be aware of our enforcement procedures.

Enforcement Procedures

If you are caught sharing copyrighted material on the Internet, UC Santa Cruz receives a “take down” notice from the agency representing the copyright holder (RIAA, MPAA, etc.)

ResNet then sends an email warning to your campus email address asking for a response to confirm that you have removed copyrighted material and are no longer sharing copyrighted material on the Internet.

Your network connection will be limited to the campus email system and a few other campus servers for a period of 14 days and you will be required to complete a copyright education quiz. More information about the quiz will be provided via email. Your network connection will be restored after the 14 days period and quiz have been completed.

For subsequent violations, your network connection will be disabled for 30 days, you will be required to complete the quiz again and you will be required to meet with a member of your Residential Life staff at your College.

It is possible for you to get caught sharing copyrighted material and not receive a take down notice. Instead, UC Santa Cruz receives a subpoena warning on your behalf and ResNet sends you a formal notice of the impending subpoena, as well as a copy of the subpoena warning. In the formal notice, you are advised to seek legal counsel at your own cost or contact the Student Judicial Office.

We encourage you to use legal file-sharing services for obtaining music on the Internet.

Legal file-sharing services

Several online services allow you to listen to and download music legally. While we do not recommend a particular provider, services such as iTunes, Napster, and MusicMatch are convenient and affordable ways to get your music over the Internet.

A large list of digital music and video services is available here.

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ITS Support Center
ITS-Kerr Hall room 60
1156 High St., Santa Cruz, California 95064