How did the University get involved in this copyright complaint against me?
Copyright holders and trade associations representing them, like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and Business Software Alliance (BSA), spend a great deal of time and money scanning Internet traffic to identify the transfer of files containing copyrighted material. When they determine the IP address involved in the transfers, they generally send a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) take-down notice to the user's Internet service provider.
For purposes of the DMCA, Indiana University is regarded as an Online Service Provider (OSP) for users of the IU information technology infrastructure. At IU, the University Information Policy Office (UIPO) receives these DMCA notices from copyright holders. The DMCA recognizes that OSPs like IU generally should not be held liable for infringement by their users. This protection is removed if OSPs learn of alleged infringement and do nothing about it.
In order for IU not to be held liable for illegal activity by our network users, we follow the provisions established within the DMCA. When IU receives a notice alleging that the user has infringed a copyright, we must act expeditiously to remove, or disable access to, the infringing material. To comply with this requirement, we notify the user and disable network access to the computer which held the IP address at the time of infringement. We are also required to adopt and implement a policy to terminate network access in appropriate circumstances for users who are repeat infringers. The exact steps and time frame for IU's response to copyright complaints are explained in detail later in the tutorial.
Additional Information:
