By Damon Armour, contributing writer
People used to claim they didn’t know any better when they downloaded music, movies, etc., from the Internet for free. There was Napster, and it was a simple way to download music for personal collections. But that was then, and this is now.
New legislation, the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), was signed into law Aug. 14, 2008. It contains provisions requiring colleges and universities across America to take all necessary steps to reduce the illegal downloading and uploading of copyrighted materials.
Educause reports that universities will be required to make an annual disclosure to their campus on the topics of illegal distribution of copyrighted materials and the civil and criminal ramifications of those actions. ASU will be working with other institutions in the University System to develop a clear and consistent message about illegal downloading.
Institutions will also need to certify with the Secretary of Education how they plan to combat the downloading and uploading of peer-to-peer (P2P) files. This plan will include a combination of technological tools and awareness training. The last main requirement of the act is the offering of alternative services to downloading illegal music, movies, etc. Many of these services have already been developed by the marketplace. iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon Music, and Ruckus are some of the top options available on the Internet for downloading music. Netflix offers streaming movies on its website, and its library is growing each day. There are alternatives out there, and the fees associated with them are fairly priced since the market is very competitive.
Publishing housings track illegal copyright infringements and will notify Information Technology Services when there is a copyright infringement. ITS will also be following ASU’s web traffic patterns and will pass along warning messages or letters to those who are in violation. Also, ITS can assist in removing all offending software that is allowing the P2P file sharing.
If your computer contains software that might be downloading or uploading illegal copyrighted materials, contact the ITS Help Desk (706-737-1482) for assistance in having this software removed.
If you have questions on the HEOA legislation, you can find more details at http://edlabor.house.gov/micro/coaa.shtml, and Educause’s memorandum discussing HEOA can be found at http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/epo0815.pdf.
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