Copyright Information


What Are UNC's Policies on Copyright?

At UNC, there are two policies governing your use of the campus network. You should be aware of the language, restrictions, and consequences of both policies.

You will be provided with a link to each policy, as well as a description of what it says. You should pay attention to these policies -- violation of them could get you sent to Honor Court or have your Internet connection cut off.


Copyright Infringement Policy

  • What is the Copyright Infringement Policy?
    The Copyright Infringement Policy states UNC's responsibilities under federal copyright law, and specifies what is expected of students, faculty, and staff at UNC. This policy states what happens once a complaint of copyright infringement is filed against you, and what will happen to you on campus and in the legal system. This policy also encourages you to use materials, but to use them legally. Fair use is a critical legal right, particularly in the educational system, and rights that aren't used are easily taken away.
  • What happens if I am cited for a copyright violation?
    • The complaint is filed. Once the copyright owner becomes aware of an infringement, they send notice of this infringement to our designated copyright officer. This person is:
      Jeanne Smythe
      CB # 3420, 105 Abernethy Hall
      University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
      Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3420

      e-mail: copyright@unc.edu
      telephone: (919) 962-5322
      fax: (919) 962-5334

      The complaint must include the filename, IP address, and method by which the file was accessed. Otherwise, we are not legally required to respond to the complaint.
    • UNC must respond. We consult our logs to find out which user has been implicated. We then investigate the material in the claim, to verify that the person or agency making the complaint is legally responsible for the material. When necessary, we prepare a legal defense or try to settle the dispute. We may also take disciplinary action against the user.
    • What happens to me? We disable your internet access and access to your campus webspace and notify you of the complaint. If this is your first offense, you must meet with staff members to sign forms acknowledging your wrongdoing (What happens during this meeting?), and you must also remove the infringing material from the network. After this meeting, your internet connection is restored. If this is your second offense, you must go to Honor Court.
    • You may submit a counter-notice. If the notice of infringement was based on a mistake or misidentifies you as a user, you may submit a counter-notice. Counter-notices are taken very seriously, as there are severe penalties for falsely accusing someone of violating copyright.
  • What happens if I violate this policy?
    Violation of this policy is also a violation of the Acceptable Use policy above. Please see this section for information on possible consequences.
  • Where may I see the full text of this policy?
    http://www.unc.edu/policy/copyinfringe.html


Acceptable Use Policy

  • What is the Acceptable Use Policy?
    The Acceptable Use Policy states what you are allowed to do with your campus Internet connection. UNC serves as your Internet Service Provider (ISP). As an ISP and a state entity, we enforce tighter restrictions on our connections and users. This is for many reasons, but in general serves to protect our reputation and ability to function as a respectable research institution. For instance, if we allow users to send unsolicited commercial emails (more commonly known as "spam"), certain Internet domains and administrators would put us on a "block list", thereby not accepting emails from us. This could seriously hamper the ability of the University to conduct legitimate research activity.
  • What am I NOT allowed to do?
    • You may not engage in commercial activity (such as running a business) using your campus network connection. This means that you may not use your campus webspace (http://www.unc.edu/~onyen) to sell your products. You may not sell your products using your campus email address. You may not conduct business over a campus connection (i.e. responding to a customer using your business email while sitting in class). We are a non-profit educational institution.
    • You may not spam the email accounts of others. This includes sending mass mails and chain letters. Should you need to send a mass mail for legitimate purposes, click here.
    • You may not in any way harass others using your campus connection. This includes any communication that may be deemed "unlawful, threatening, abusive, fraudulent, hateful, defamatory, obscene, or pornographic", or that in any way could be a violation of criminal or civil laws.
    • You may not attempt to "hack into" or intercept data from computers and user accounts on the campus network. You may not access any machines which you are not expressly permitted to access.
    • You may not disrupt a system or portion of the network by consuming excessive resources, such as bandwidth, memory, or CPU time.
    • As the Internet and its uses evolve, so will this policy. ITS reserves the right to determine what is and is not a violation.
  • What happens if I violate this policy?
    Depending on the frequency, severity, and intent of the violation, likely sanctions may include:
    • Removal from the campus network.
    • Honor Court proceedings. (Students)
    • Legal action.
    • Disciplinary action.
    • Termination. (Employees)
    • Referral to the appropriate department for action.
  • Where may I see the full text of the policy?
    http://www.unc.edu/policy/aupol.html

Copyright 2005 S. Adair Thaxton - Reproduce, Redistribute, But Please Cite!