Emerson College requires that its students comply with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and Emerson College policies, including those concerning copyright-protected materials. That requirement is stated in the Emerson College Student Code of Conduct found in the undergraduate and graduate handbooks and is also stated in the Emerson College Electronic Information Policy. The student handbooks and the Electronic Information Policy may be found on the College’s website. The unauthorized sharing of copyrighted materials can have serious consequences.
While Emerson doesn’t routinely monitor the electronic activities of its students, if it comes to our attention that a student may be violating the College’s Electronic Information Policy it will respond accordingly. For example, when copyrighted sound recordings are made available for sharing on the Internet through a peer-to-peer client (such as LimeWire, Gnutella or KaZaA), copyright holders and their representatives, such as the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA), may act to take legal action against the individual sharing the protected material.
As a practice, copyright holders and/or their assigns notify Emerson College when they determine that a computer on the College data network was used to make available for distribution unauthorized copies of media. Reports of copyright infringements are referred to Emerson’s Office of Student Conduct and are subject to College disciplinary action. Violations of copyright law which make use of the Emerson College network may lead to termination of Emerson College network access and other College sanctions up to and including loss of housing and suspension from the College.
Sharing copyright protected material may also lead to litigation and/or criminal prosecution that can result in substantial monetary damages and expenses, damages which must be paid by the person doing the sharing. Please think twice. Is it worth the risk of incurring College sanctions, a lawsuit, and thousands of dollars in damages for a free song, video or film? Please do not download or share copyrighted materials.
