Copyright notice sent to UW-Madison community

Saturday, March 17, 2007

The following email was sent to all UW-Madison faculty, staff and students regarding the recent increase in recording industry notices of apparent copyright violations. Although this UW announcement was not directed to specific offenders (no settlement letters have been received), University officials want the campus to be aware of the actions the campus will take.

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Friday, March 16, 2007

The recording industry is threatening lawsuits against those who may have engaged in illegal file sharing. They are currently targeting students who live in university residence halls. Recently, UW-Madison and other universities have been notified that they will receive settlement letters that are to be passed on to the individuals whom the senders believe to be guilty of copyright infringement. Consistent with current network management procedures and our understanding of federal law, UW-Madison does not plan to forward these letters directly to campus network users. We will, of course, comply with a valid subpoena.

However, if the UW-Madison is given cause to believe that a student, faculty or staff network user may have infringed on copyrights, it will take action. University network policies empower the CIO to terminate that person’s network access until the matter is resolved. The Dean of Students office (for students) or supervisors (for employees) will be notified and other disciplinary action may be taken, as appropriate.

Unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted works is illegal in many circumstances, and a violation of the university’s Appropriate Use Policy. Please be advised of your rights and responsibilities under these rules. For more information, see http://www.doit.wisc.edu/security/policies/appropriate_use.asp

Ken Frazier
Interim CIO,
UW-Madison