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Peer-to-Peer Policy
Peer-to-peer applications are defined as programs which allow computers to share data in the form of music, movies, games, or any computer file or software over a local network and the Internet without accessing a centralized distribution server or set of servers. The University does not, at this time, prohibit and does not block the use of peer-to-peer applications on any part of its network or the IT Resources. The University understands that there are legitimate academic uses for such applications. However, use of these applications has been known to cause problems which can affect the entire University community as well as individual Users.
The University expects that all IT Resources will be used in a manner consistent with the IT Policy and compliant with applicable laws. The University is under no obligation to protect a User from a complaint or action arising from any violation, or alleged violation, of the law, including infringement of any intellectual property right due to use of peer-to-peer, or any other type of “file-sharing,” software or networks. Users should understand that the fact that material is accessible through the Internet does not mean that accessing such material is authorized by third party rights-holders. In some cases, even Content that is only accessible after a User pays for it may not be authorized for distribution by those who hold rights to that Content.
Accordingly, the University prohibits the use of peer-to-peer applications on its networks or the IT Resources, in general, to transmit or exchange any videos, music, software, images, or other Content, in which the intellectual property is held by any party or entity other than the User, unless the User has valid, written authorization to access or distribute such Content. Any use of the IT Resources in violation of this policy will be subject to discipline or sanctions in keeping with the applicable provisions of the IT Policy and other University statutes, rules, and policies. Nonetheless, the University allows and encourages the use of peer-to-peer applications for legitimate academic purposes when such uses do not involve any violation of applicable laws, statutes, or policies, or infringement of third party rights.
The University will endeavor to ensure that the User community is not adversely affected by the use of peer-to-peer programs. To that end, the University employs bandwidth management technology to make sure peer-to-peer programs do not degrade network speeds or any other portion of the IT Resources. Nonetheless, should such programs degrade the performance of the IT Resources, or otherwise affect them in a manner inconsistent with the IT Policy or other University policies, appropriate action will be taken against the User or Users responsible for such degradation or other negative impact.
Users should be aware that peer-to-peer applications are not necessarily harmless and using them, in addition to potentially degrading the IT Resources’ performance, may:
- Violate copyright, patent, trademark, or other rights;
- May result in the disclosure confidential information; and
- May jeopardize the security of the IT Resources.
As noted above, disproportionate bandwidth usage and violation of applicable rights and laws constitute violations of the University’s IT Policy.
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