Unauthorized Distribution of Copyrighted Material

Regis University is committed to upholding U.S. copyright law. As an institution for higher education in the 21st century, we are an online service provider to students, faculty and staff of the University, along with a variety of other members of our community. Though the University does not actively monitor its networks to discover illegal activity, we have taken steps to block activity that we know to be illegal using education, policy-based and technology-based deterrents alongside swift action in response to any Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notification.

The P2P provisions of the Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2008 (HEOA) requires U.S. institutions of higher education to develop and implement “written plans to effectively combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material by users of the institution’s network without unduly interfering with the educational and research use of the network." This plan, outlined below in the resolution section as a narrative, satisfies this HEOA requirement.

Education and Understanding

Regis University initiates a broad communication effort regarding copyright law as it related to use of Regis networks with students at least annually, most often in conjunction with the beginning of a new academic year each fall. Examples of such communication include letters to students, postings on University news web sites, placards and posters in student gathering places and a portion of new student orientation presentations.

Upon receipt of a DMCA claim, Regis University follows legally required response with an effort to provide a learning opportunity for the party(ies) that engaged in activity that led to the claim. Students are referred to Student Life judicial process for formal proceedings.

Policy-based Deterrents

The Regis University Responsible Use of University Technology Resources policy governs use of the Regis “Digital Plant” by all members of the Regis Community, and each authentication to RegisNET requires that each person agrees to abide by this policy. This policy contains “activities that violate copyright or other intellectual property rights of others” within a list of prohibited activities. In addition to the authentication requirement, this policy is listed in the Student Handbook, the Human Resources Policy Manual, and also within the “University Policies” section on the Regis Web portal, known as Regis INsite.

Technology-based Deterrents

Regis University’s intrusion detection and prevention application facilitates blocking of known illegal P2P file-sharing sites according to a vendor-provided list that is updated frequently via scheduled download.

Review

Regis University engages in review of this plan at least once a year, almost exclusively during the summer months to prepare for the upcoming academic year. The review includes an assessment of the plan's effectiveness at combating the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials by campus network users. The number of DMCA notices received in the prior year will be compared against previous years as part of this assessment. Options for enhancing the plan's effectiveness will also be reviewed when necessary.

Providing Legal Alternatives

While Regis University actively promotes federal copyright law as part of our mission to cultivate and support a community where ethical behavior is a primary consideration in all human interaction, the University has no philosophical interest in promoting specific alternatives that allow community members to obtain copyrighted material legally. Accordingly, we do not advertise or offer any affiliation with any such service. Certainly, we provide access to all legal alternatives via the University’s connection to the internet.

For those who have an interest, EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology maintains an extensive list of Legal Sources of Online Content at www.educause.edu/legalcontent.