Downloading or distributing copyrighted material, including through peer-to-peer file sharing, without the permission of the copyright owner is against the law. Illegal downloading or distribution of copyrighted materials can result in you being prosecuted in criminal court and/or sued for damages in civil court. Criminal penalties for first-time offenders can be as high as five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. If sued in civil court, you may be responsible for monetary damages, attorneys' fees and civil penalties up to $150,000 per work distributed. Use of St. Cloud State University resources for unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials is forbidden.
St. Cloud State University prohibits illegal copyright infringement through its acceptable use policies as well as student conduct code. Disciplinary action, including loss of use of the university information technology systems up to and including expulsion from the university, could result from violations of this policy.
Other Related Policies: Minnesota State Board Policy 3.27 Copyrights and Procedure 3.27.1 Copyright Clearance
For more information on this topic, please go to Secure Computing (Copyrighted Digital Media).
To see a list of legal alternatives, please visit http://www.educause.edu/legalcontent