Date: June 4, 2008

To: University of Dubuque Community

From: Sherry Cusick, Director of Technology

John Stewart, Vice President of Academic Affairs

In recent years, the University of Dubuque received several letters from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America, the Songwriters Guild of America, and the National Music Publishers Association. Each organization asks our help to stop activities on the campus computer network that facilitate or allow piracy of music, video, and other copyrighted materials or media. Copyright infringement is a crime with serious consequences, which typically includes large copyright infringement fines.

The computer network at the University of Dubuque exists for educational purposes as outlined in the Mission, Vision, and Action Plan, as well as the Acceptable Use Policy from the Office of Technology. To use the campus network as a convenient mechanism to violate copyright, or any other law, cannot be tolerated. As our policy points out, the University of Dubuque will turn over any requested network logs or documentation to authorized agencies, such as the RIAA, who are investigating infringements, if asked. Federal law requires the University to take action when notified of, or making discovery of violations.

If you would like to learn more about this issue, and/or are interested in learning more about the rights of artists and consumers, check with the United States Copyright Office at  www.loc.gov/copyright, or the web site  www.musicunited.org. If you are interested in disabling suspect clients on your computer, the University of Chicago has a very informative web site at  http://security.uchicago.edu/guidelines/peer-to-peer/.

The University of Dubuque is pleased to provide easy access to the Internet and will continue to provide this service. However, the University will not protect individuals who violate copyright laws.