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Movies, Music, and Copyright Infringement

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), passed by Congress in 1998, grants copyright holders of intellectual and artistic property and their agents the right to demand Internet service providers (ISPs) to remove infringing content from their networks when it is found and subject the responsible parties to disciplinary measures. For the purposes of the DMCA, Penn is considered the ISP for all PennNet-connected devices and users.

As well as being a violation of Federal law, copyright infringement violates Penn's Acceptable Use Policy. Penn users found to be infringing on copyrights by illegally sharing music, movies, games, software and other licensed material may be subject to penalties including (but not limited to) fines and/or loss of network privileges. Students may be subject to disciplinary action by the Office of Student Conduct.

Copyright holders have recently become much more active in pursuing violations, and some Penn students and employees have been subjected to lawsuits in which they have been forced to pay large settlements and judgments. If a lawsuit claiming copyright infringement is brought against you, it will be your responsibility to obtain appropriate legal representation.