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Indiana University

Copyright

Indiana University websites include a variety of materials created by various members of the IU community. Although these works may be freely accessible on the Internet and may not include any statement about copyright, the U.S. Copyright Act nevertheless provides that such works are protected by copyright. Visitors must assume that works are protected by copyright until they learn otherwise.

Indiana University would like visitors to make productive use of materials found on IU websites, particularly if the uses are for nonprofit educational purposes. The university is currently seeking means to clarify the rights of use of many materials accessible on its web pages. Unless rights of use are clearly stated with respect to an individual item, visitors must seek permission from the copyright owner for all uses that are not allowed by fair use or other provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act. If you need assistance with identifying or locating the copyright owner of a work, please contact the owner of the page from which you linked to this statement. If you believe there has been an infringement of your copyright, you can make a complaint to IU’s Chief Privacy Officer.

Sanctions for copyright infringement

Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material using Indiana University’s information technology resources—including sharing copyrighted music, movies, and software through peer-to-peer applications like BitTorrent, eMule, etc. using Internet access provided by IU—is against the law and university policy. Unlawful file sharing may subject you to legal penalties, which can include any or all of the following:

  • Having to pay money to the copyright holder in a lawsuit—between $750 and $30,000 for each file, and up to $150,000 for each file if the infringement was willful
  • Having to pay the copyright holder’s costs and attorney fees to bring the lawsuit
  • Criminal fines of up to $250,000, and up to five years’ jail time—even if someone sharing files doesn’t sell or charge for them
  • Seizure and destruction of infringing files

Additionally, the university may impose sanctions, including loss of network access and disciplinary action. Visit Protect IU for further information about these sanctions or to learn how to avoid copyright infringement claims from copyright holders.

Copyright complaints

The Indiana University official designated to respond to allegations of copyright infringement on the part of individuals at Indiana University (any campus), in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, is identified below, along with contact information.

The Act requires the complainant to include certain information in a complaint, and providing that information in the initial contact may help speed resolution of the complaint.

Agent contact information

DMCA Compliance Coordinator
University Information Security Office
Indiana University
Email: copyright@iu.edu
Phone: 812-855-UISO (8476)
Fax: 812-856-1011

Digital Millennium Copyright Act—infringement claims

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act specifies that all infringement claims must be in writing (either electronic mail or paper letter) and must include the following elements:

  1. A physical or electronic signature;
  2. Identification of the infringed work;
  3. Identification of the infringed material;
  4. Contact information for the complainant, e.g., address, telephone number, electronic mail address;
  5. A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner or the law; and
  6. A statement that the information contained in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

More information