Consequences
Selections from UNC's official
Copyright and Network Usage policy:
How could I get caught if I violate copyright law
or the Acceptable Use Policy?
- UNC system administrators do not routinely police our network for
illegal activity, but they must respond to formal legal complaints
they receive. Also, if your computer begins to consume excessive network
resources, ITS will investigate your network activities in order to
keep the network operating smoothly.
- Organizations like the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) frequently police file-sharing programs for copyrighted material
belonging to the artists they represent.
- If you establish a business online, it's a likely bet that your
competitors will be the first to notify UNC of your illegal activity.
- Some students believe their activity on the Internet is largely
anonymous or untraceable, but this is untrue. In fact, almost all
your activity on the Internet is logged on many of the computer systems
you use, and while these logs usually are not inspected, they certainly
can be used to confirm or implicate you in illegal activity.
How often do students get caught or prosecuted?
- Many students are under the impression that they would never be
prosecuted or sent to the Honor Court simply for sharing MP3s on the
network. This is not the case.
- As an example, in a one-month period at the end of the fall 2001
semester, approximately ten students were investigated for copyright
infringement. While the number of students may seem very low, the
sanctions for these violations are serious.
If you are discovered breaking copyright law, the consequences could
include honor court, suspension of all network access, or other penalties.
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