Registering an Email Account to Receive Official Communications
You must register an email account with KU to receive official communications that the university sends. Registered email accounts should be checked regularly for pertinent University information.
Appropriate Use of Electronic Resources
All members of the university community have the right to be free from abuse, harassment and threat to themselves or their property. Engaging in activities that infringes on these rights is inappropriate.
Other inappropriate uses of KU's electronic resources (including email and Web sites):
In addition, you are responsible for all inappropriate activity that occurs using your password or other electronic resources registered in your name (i.e. computer, email account, KU online ID, password or Web site). Refer to the KU Policy on the Acceptable Use of Electronic Information Resources for more information.
If you have any questions regarding the acceptable use of resources, please contact the Coordinator of IT Policy and Planning (785-864-4999), or send e-mail to vpinfo@ku.edu.
The Low-Down on Downloads and the DMCA
A law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (or DMCA, for short) outlines specific steps that Internet Service Providers like KU must take when their users violate copyright, including removing repeat offenders from the network.
It could happen to you ... and what to expect if it does
KU acts quickly to respond to complaints of copyright violation we receive from copyright owners and their representatives, such as the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, the Interactive Digital Software Association and the Business Software Alliance. Here's what to expect:
Initial Departmental Notification: Your departmental Technical Liaison and Dean, Director, or Department Chair will receive an official University email providing notice of the copyright infringement complaint. The Technical Liaison is asked to delete the materials in question and confirm by email that they have done so. For incidents linked to departmental machines, the appropriate Dean, Director, or Department Chair communicates with their staff about licensing and copyright issues. Employment actions should be handled by the department under the advice and guidance of Human Resources/Equal Opportunity and the Office of the General Counsel.
Repeat Notifications: Under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the University is required to remove repeat offenders from the network. If the materials fail to be deleted from the machine, or if other copyrighted movies, music, games or software files are downloaded to or distributed from the machine illegally, the University will continue to receive complaints tied to the resource registered in your department's name. We will contact the Technical Liaison and Dean, Director, or Department Chair to reach an appropriate resolution. Employment actions should be handled by the department under the advice and guidance of Human Resources/Equal Opportunity and the Office of the General Counsel.
You could be sued for damages. Under federal law, $750-$150,000 may be sought for each illegally shared item.
You could be prosecuted. Under the No Electronic Theft Act, you also could be prosecuted as a criminal if you download or distribute one or more copyrighted works within a 180-day period that would have had a retail value totaling $1000. If other machines access the material on your machine, it is easy to reach the $1000 figure.
Are you still breaking the law if you own the CD, copy it to your computer, and don't intend to sell, share or trade the new copy?
If you choose to engage in this activity, you are at risk of breaking the law. What we do know for certain is that making copies of copyrighted songs available for others to download, or downloading them from others yourself, is clearly a violation of federal copyright law. And this is still true even if you haven't sold a copy or made a dime.
Violations and Consequences
The University of Kansas considers any violations of policy or law to be a serious offense and reserves the right to take action as appropriate. University officials reserve the right to access, examine, intercept, monitor and copy the files and/or sessions of any user, or to suspend a user's access to a system or the network in connection with the investigation of any policy violation. The consequences for violation of IT-related policies may include, but are not limited to:
Notification: alerting a user to what appears to be an inadvertent violation of policy in order to educate the user to avoid subsequent violations.
Warning: alerting a user to the violation, with the understanding that any additional violation will result in a greater penalty.
Loss of account, system, or network privileges: limitation or removal of access privileges, either permanently or for a specified period of time, even during final exam periods.
Restitution for damages: requiring reimbursement for the costs of repairs to or replacement of computer or network related material, equipment, hardware, software, data, and/or facilities. Reimbursement will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the cost of additional time spent by university employees due to the violation.
Appeals
Investigations of violations will follow the due process guidelines of the Office of the Vice Provost for Information Services, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Success, the Office of Equal Opportunity, and the Department of Human Resources. Inquiries concerning procedures should be referred to the appropriate office. Assistance is also available from the University Ombudsman and University General Counsel.
