Promotional message that appeared on the campus cable network, October 2012.
Published November 9, 2012
By Rick Lesniak, lesniak@buffalo.edu
Illegal downloading of media files and software places the university community at considerable risk. This year, in an effort to raise awareness of the dangers surrounding illegal downloading and sharing, a UB-wide digital copyright awareness campaign is underway.
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The copyright awareness campaign coincided with October’s Cyber Security Awareness Month. The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires UB to have an actionable communications plan in place, so this year’s plan included bus headliners, campus cable ads, and email notifications from Dr. Thomas Furlani, UB’s Chief Information Officer. Our goal was to inform and protect all members of the UB community from potential legal actions.
The Keep-It-Legal campaign, which was designed with assistance from students, features flyers and bus headliners with a provoking message: “How much would you pay to see a movie?” The campaign's slogan and visual materials were created by Dennis Reed Jr., IT Policy & Communications Webmaster.
In the Fall 2012 Student IT Experience survey, students indicated their preferred method for accessing media online (music, games, etc.) was using Streaming Services, such as Spotify and Pandora (72.3%), followed by stores such as Amazon and iTunes (15.4%), with peer-to-peer apps accounting for 5.2%. Last year, students indicated their preferences at 56%, 25% and 10% respectively. So the trend towards safe, copyright aware practices continues to improve.
UB Computer Discipline Officer Michael Behun added, “Each individual is their own best protection against a copyright complaint. If you’re offered a free download of a movie or song, avoid it. Using a paid service like iTunes is the best way to go to ensure you’re not breaking the law.”
To learn more about digital copyright compliance at UB and the law, check out:
VITEC Solutions services both personal and department-owned computers and iProduct devices; visit their drop-off depot in the Lockwood 2nd Floor Cybrary or call 800-333-1075. You can also request office pick-up for UB-owned equipment. Track your repair status.
UB’s top-level website, Buffalo.edu, was recently given the gold award in the 2012 Circle of Excellence competition sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. CIT was a key partner in the development of the underlying CMS system.
Computing and Information Technology at UB is more than 40 years
old. Here’s a look back at the Interface
newsletter from June 1970. (Please note: this PDF file includes
perturbations natural to the duplication process at the
time.)
