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Copyright Information, Laws, & Securing Cyberspace

Goldey-Beacom College stands firm against the unlawful distribution of copyrighted music, movies, software and other works. Copyright is a form of protection of the intellectual property of others. It would be incorrect to assume that just because something is posted on the Internet, it is in public domain and free for you to use!

Copyright Information

To comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), the Office of Information Technology (OIT) has established the following technology/plans:

Information about copyrights, illegal downloading, violations, etc. is:
- distributed to all students each year via the Student Handbook and Code of Conduct,
- and published on the College website.
Security policies on the network may temporarily disconnect users who try to access P2P networks, e.g. Limewire, BearShare, KaZaA, BitTorrent, etc., or network activity deemed to be harmful to the GBC Network.
The College will provide students with a list of alternative online services for legal streaming and downloading via this page.
The College will cooperate with copyright holders to identify individuals who share copyrighted materials.

The Laws

Using computing and network facilities in committing crimes such as harassment, fraud, identify theft, and other crimes is not excusable. The State of Delaware and the federal government have laws that make computer crimes a serious offense. Use the following links for additional information about the laws:

Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section

Delaware Criminal Code

Delaware Code – Spam Laws

The Office of Information Technology monitors network activity which includes file sharing. Individuals violating copyright laws also risk having lawsuits brought against them by the copyright owners or their agents and could be liable for statutory damages and/or other legal remedies if the infringement is found to be willful.

Legal Streaming and Downloading

It is illegal to use P2P software like Limewire, BearShare, or BitTorrent to share copyrighted works like music and movies. Copying a DVD is also illegal as it requires breaking the encryption on the DVD.

Legal music and movie streaming and downloading services are available from platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and more. Some of these services even offer discounted plans for students. GBC does not endorse any of these specific companies or services.

Securing Cyberspace

The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace asks us “to secure the portions of cyberspace” that we own and operate. This means our own PCs and network. Students are responsible for securing their PC from the threats of intruders who may want to use their network identification and authorization to cause national harm. Be sure that the PC operating system is updated with the latest security patches; protect the PC with a password; install and update virus protection software; and do not open the PC to others on the network.

Please view the following links for additional copyright information:

United States Copyright Office
StreamSafely
Copyright Law of the United States
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
Copyright Resources, from GBC Hiron Library
Codes of Best Practices, from the American University Center for Media & Social Impact
Copyright and Fair Use, from the Stanford University Libraries
Copyright, Distance Ed, & Intellectual Property, from the American Association of University Professors
The Copyright Crash Course, from the University of Texas at Austin
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the US, from Cornell University
Tales From the Public Domain: Bound by Law?, a comic book from public domain scholars at Duke University Law School

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