Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Information

Dear UB Colleague,

The purpose of this communication is to remind our campus community about the importance of abiding by federal regulation when using copyrighted information. Unauthorized sharing of copyrighted materials (including music, movies, and software) is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Using the UB network for illegal downloading or sharing of copyright protected materials is in direct violation of both the UB Information Technology Policy (http://www.buffalo.edu/ubit/policies/it-policies-a-to-z/computer-and-network-use) and the DMCA.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) requires the university to inform the UB community of the consequences of using UB's network for unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material. Those who have violated copyright law are required to complete a comprehensive online copyright course.  Subsequent violations may involve disciplinary action.

To protect yourself and UB from violating UB Information Technology policy and federal law, please only download material from legitimate media sites that have legal agreements to sell music, software and movies. A list of legal alternatives is available at
http://www.educause.edu/legalcontent

For more information regarding copyright and legal alternatives, please refer to the following:

      -    UB IT Policies

      -    US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) (PDF)

      -    Legal Alternatives

Thank you for your adherence to UB Information Technology policy and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Sincerely,

Thomas R. Furlani, Chief Information Officer
University at Buffalo, 517 Capen Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260