Copyright Procedures and Information

All University of Mount Saint Vincent users should adhere to the University’s Computer Use/Appropriate Use Policy. All users have the responsibility to use the University’s computer resources in an ethical and lawful manner consistent with the rules and regulations of the University. As per our policies, each user is also responsible for adhering to Federal copyright laws. As per the Digital Millennium and Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998, colleges/universities are required to act expeditiously to remove or block access to illegal materials.

The University of Mount Saint Vincent Student Handbook contains the official policies and procedures of Illegal Downloading and Copyright Infringement. This information can be found in Section Six (“Student Conduct and Community Standards”) of the handbook.

Procedures Used for Handling Unauthorized Distribution of Copyrighted Material
When the Copyright Officer receives a notice of a copyright violation, he/she forwards the information to the Network department. The Network team then takes immediate action. The violator’s campus Internet access is blocked. The student’s name, date of infraction, IP Address, and MAC Address are recorded. The violator is sent an email notice of the infringement and informed to make an appointment with the Dean of Students.

After meeting with the Dean of Students, the violator is given an appropriate sanction. He/she is responsible for contacting the Computer Services Helpdesk for a computer inspection of any potential copyright infringement software and other potential security vulnerabilities. The violator is responsible for removing such software and/or vulnerabilities. If the computer passes its review by the helpdesk, the network team is notified to restore Internet access to the violating party.

Violators who continue to abuse the University’s copyright infringement policy receive harsher sanctions up to, and including expulsion.

Technology-Based Deterrents for Copyright Infringement
The University of Mount Saint Vincent is using a firewall-based system that blocks identified IP addresses. It also uses mechanisms that are part of our Aruba network infrastructure that block peer-to peer traffic.

Mechanism(s) Used to Educate University of Mount Saint Vincent Community
Each semester during Freshman Orientation, students are given information about the University of Mount Saint Vincent’s policies and procedures regarding copyright infringement violations. They are informed about the penalties and consequences for such violations. They are also given a list of legal alternatives for online content downloading, as provided by Educause.

Students, Faculty, and Staff receive periodic email reminders about the above-mentioned policies and procedures. A copy of the Policies and Sanctions can also be found in the University of Mount Saint Vincent’s Student Handbook.

Criteria to Determine Copyright Infringement Policy Effectiveness
The University of Mount Saint Vincent constantly monitors copyright abuse notifications. All information on abuses and notifications is logged and documented by the IT Department. The University of Mount Saint Vincent believes that its policies and procedures are effective because the number of abuse cases continue to drop every academic year. Additionally, the number of repeat offenders continues to drop each year. These two measures greatly influence our assessment of the effectiveness of our policy.

Special Arrangements with Content Providers to Obtain Content through Legal Methods
The University of Mount Saint Vincent has an agreement with Broadcast Music Incorporation to stream music on the University’s Radio Station and at various campus events.

Useful Links

• The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA)
• EDUCAUSE Legal Sources of Online Content
• U.S. Copyright Office

Contact
Copyright Officer
718.405.3280
copyright-violation@umsv.edu