The university has established consequences for performing illegal file sharing of copyrighted materials, which includes downloading music, videos or games that were not legally purchased by the user. These consequences help the university comply with recording industry standards and federal laws.
Each student should become familiar with the consequences of illegal file sharing as well as review current policy.
The procedure below outlines the consequences if a student is found in violation of university policy and U.S. copyright law:
First Offense:
? Student will be required to remove all infringing material, uninstall any sharing mechanism, and make a written statement of his commitment to adhere to TU?s policy on copyright and acceptable use by the end of the next business day after being notified;
? Student will lose access to the residence network and may lose access to the university network until the problem is resolved.
Second Offense:
? Student will be required to remove all infringing material, uninstall any sharing mechanism, and make a written statement of commitment to adhere to TU?s policy on copyright and acceptable use by the end of the next business day;
? Student will lose access to the residence and university networks for a period of 10 business days or until notified by the ISO;
? Student will be referred to Office of Student Conduct and Civility Education for adjudication or other actions.
Third Offense: A third violation would indicate a serious disregard for TU policy and impugn the student?s ability to appropriately use TU?s Information Technology resources. At this point, the university would consider imposing a permanent ban from the campus network, including, but not limited to, the loss of PeopleSoft, BlackBoard, e-mail and file storage capabilities.
? Student will be required to remove all infringing material and uninstall any sharing mechanism(s);
? Student will lose access to the university-wide network, including Internet access, until the student conduct process is complete;
? Student will be referred to Office of Student Conduct and Civility Education for adjudication or other actions. Possible sanctions include, but are not limited to, removal from university housing, permanent loss of access to university-wide network, suspension from the university, and expulsion from the university.
Additional information on these consequences can be found at:
{http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/filesharing/index.asp}
For more information on illegal file sharing or copyright laws, consult the following Towson University websites:
OTS Information Security Office
{http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/gettingconnected/infosecandvirus/infsectraining/filesharing.asp}
Copyright FAQs
{http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/filesharing/faq.asp}
OTS AboveBoard
{http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/support/scs/resnet/Aboveboard.pdf}
OTS Policies
{http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/aboutots/otspolicies/responsible.asp}
Contact the OTS Help Center at extension x4-5151 if you have any questions.
