Copyright Rules

What is copyright infringement?

Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement. (Provided by US Dept. of Education)

Examples of Copyright Infringement:

• Copying a movie digitally or to DVD to distribute or share with others
• Downloading movies or music from illegal sites
• Making copies or sharing movies or music via e-mail or over the network
• Joining a file sharing network with the aim of illegally downloading and sharing music, movies, games and other media
• Using applications such as Teams, Slack, Discord to share digital music, movies and other media.

Penalties for violation of federal copyright laws?

1. Institutional Penalties for Copyright Infringement
   When the university discovers or receives a report of instances of copyright infringement the responsible party is reported to Student Affairs and subject to university sanctions.
    
2. Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws (provided by the U.S. Department of Education)
   Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or "statutory" damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For "willful" infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys' fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505.
   
   Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.
   
   For more information, please see the Web site of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov, especially their FAQ's at www.copyright.gov/help/faq.

How is Seton Hall Helping to Reduce Instances of Copyright Infringement?
Seton Hall has acquired network systems and tools aimed at reducing instances of copyright infringement that occur within the Seton Hall network. Our network administrators are using these tools to manage the flow of network traffic into, out of,  and within the university network.  The network has also been configured to block traffic from the most common protocols used for illegal peer-to-peer traffic.

Legal Places to Obtain Music, Movies and More

There are lots of ways for you to obtain music, movies, television shows, games and more.  Visit the sites below to find legal sources for acquiring these types of media.

Music

• Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

Movies and TV

• Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)