Campus Notice

Memo Regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and Infringement of Copyright

You may have heard that there has been a large number of Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violation reports sent to U.S. universities and colleges.

You may also have heard of the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) strategies for addressing copyright violation. Universities receive RIAA "settlement letters" with Internet Protocol addresses of alleged offenders requesting that the letters be forwarded to users whom they allege have infringed on RIAA member recording companies' copyrights. The RIAA has distributed this news to the public via their web site.

Copyright infringement is addressed in Virginia Tech's Policy 7000: Acceptable Use and Administration of Computer and Communication Systems (See the policy.) As a student of Virginia Tech, please familiarize yourself with this information.

Virginia Tech is obligated to comply with applicable laws as they relate to the RIAA's new strategy for addressing copyright violations. However, Virginia Tech is not a party to these legal proceedings. If you receive one of these "settlement letters," it is your responsibility to decide how to respond to the RIAA. You may wish to consult with Student Legal Services or your private legal counsel before making a decision to ensure you understand your rights and responsibilities in this matter.

You are reminded that, in addition to the RIAA, many other content owners or their agents send DMCA letters for videos, movies, games, photographs, and software. You should reconsider network activity that may involve copyright infringement in light of the pervasive monitoring of file sharing that content owners and agents conduct via the Internet.

Note:

Should you have questions, please contact Jeff Kidd, DMCA Coordinator, by phone: 540-231-3932, or send an e-mail.

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