Digital Rights Management (DRM)

Have you used Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing software to download or share music, books, or movies? Have you installed file sharing software (e.g., Gnutella, LimeWire Ares, eDonkey, BitTorrent etc.) on your computer, and have tried to remove it but have been unable to? Have you been contacted by the SMU IT Help Desk or by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) indicating that they have received a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice requesting that you remove copyrighted files from your computer? This page will help you understand more about copyright and the DMCA, and how SMU responds to DMCA notices.

Southern Methodist University’s Information Technology and Communications Policy prohibits the use of SMU’s information resources, including its network, to engage in copyright infringing activity. You must have authorization from the publisher for any material you use or share over the campus network. These and other university policies (see complete list below) demonstrate the University’s commitment to compliance with the requirements of various federal copyright laws and the associated legal responsibilities of the University in this regard.

SMU Policies related to File Sharing, Copyright, and the DMCA:

• University Policy 10.16 – Intellectual Property.
• University Policy 10.17 – Copyright.
• University Policy 8.1 – Acceptable Use.

Copyright Law

• Digital Millennium Copyright Act (October 1998)
  Full text of the Act located on file with the Library of Congress
• No Electronic Theft Act (LaMacchia Bill)
  Full text of the Act located on file with the Library of Congress
• Copyright Act of 1976, as Amended (1994)
  Located on file with the Cornell University Law School

Legal Alternatives to Illegal File Sharing

The following web site allows you to access legal content (both free content as well as fee-based) from the Internet:

www.educause.edu/legalcontent

Registered DMCA Agent

The agent designated to receive and act on copyright violations from Content Holders or Publishers under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is: