What if I want to contest the notice?
NOTE: It’s important to realize that contesting a notice should not be taken lightly. If we find during the course of our investigation that you misrepresented yourself when contesting, then the incident will be immediately referred to the appropriate disciplinary office.
Before filing a counter notice
Before contesting the notice, it is important to check whether the files in question actually are on your computer. If you don’t recognize the file names listed in the original notice from the copyright owner, and you believe an error has been made, please use your computer’s “search files” function to search your system for the file names. If you need assistance in doing so, contact the UITS Support Center. If you have allowed anyone else to use your machine, they may have placed these files on your hard drive without your knowledge. It is also possible that your computer has been compromised, and that the files have been placed there by someone else who has gained unauthorized access to your computer. No matter how the files got there, the copyright owner has served notice that they must be taken down, and IU incurs costs in doing so. Therefore, you must complete the tutorial and quiz even if you were not the one to place the files on your computer.
If you believe in good faith that the copyright owner made a mistake in identifying your IP address or the files that it claims were infringed, the copyright tutorial provides an opportunity for you to “contest” the notice. Please note that although you are contesting the notice you will still be required to complete the tutorial and pass the quiz.
Procedure for contesting the notice
To contest the complaint select “contest” from the statement of compliance page within the copyright tutorial. This option will only be available after you have confirmed that you have read the tutorial. Once you have completed the tutorial and quiz you will need to reply to the original message from the University Information Policy Office and include the following information:
- State the reason you wish to contest the notice. For example, inform us if you believe a mistake was made or that you have permission to use the material in the manner outlined in the complaint.
- Explain why you believe a mistake was made and provide any additional details you wish for us to consider.
Once we have received your message we will begin a technical investigation. This includes examining the network traffic that was taking place from your computer, VPN, or dial-up session at the date/time identified in the complaint. If we find technical evidence that suggests a mistake has been made then you will not be fined $50. However if we find that the activity is consistent with the complaint then the fine will apply and the incident will count as an offense. Additionally the incident may be referred to a disciplinary unit if it appears you misrepresented yourself when contesting.
