Important Information About Copyright Infringement

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law that criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as digital rights management or DRM) that control access to copyrighted works. It also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself. In addition, the DMCA heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet. All official DMCA "take-down" notices will be acted on immediately.

This information is being shared with you relative to the actions of the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) efforts to deter copyright infringement.  Recently, RIAA stepped up its actions against individuals who illegally share copyright-protected music. The method they are using is to send "settlement letters" to institutions of higher education and other Internet service providers. These "settlement letters" must then be forwarded to those individuals alleged to have infringed on RIAA copyrights, in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).  In the letter, should you receive one, you will be asked to pay a fine for any illegal activity in lieu of risking a lawsuit. The University will not give any legal advice regarding these letters and this letter should not be considered legal advice. Anyone who receives a letter is wholly responsible to respond to the letter and may want to seek appropriate legal advice before responding.  As campus network resource users, you need to be aware that you are personally responsible for any copyright infringement originating from your personal or campus computer.

According to the DMCA, Minot State University is not required to monitor network traffic and seek out infringing activities.  However, once notified of infringing activities by a copyright owner, the University is required to remove the infringing material from its network. The University is not changing how it responds to complaints of digital copyright infringement. All allegations of violations are treated the same whether the infringement involves music, video, games, or other software. If you have any questions, please call the Help Desk at 858-4444.