Academic Computing Website

Strike 1 – The user is blocked from Internet use and notified by email. The student is then required to affirm that they have ceased file sharing and then the connection is restored.

Strike 2 – Same as strike 1, in addition to the matter being referred to Student Affairs for disciplinary action. A range of actions can be taken depending on circumstances and nature of violation – see student handbook.

Strike 3 – Students Internet connection will be permanently terminated and the matter once again goes to Student Affairs.

Q2. Will the strikes go away after each semester or school year?

A. No. Each strike remains until you are no longer a student at SUNY New Paltz.

Q3. What type of legal action will be taken against me in terms of the copyright holder?

A. Federal copyright law (Digital Millennium Copyright Act – DMCA) mandates that Internet Providers act on all copyright infringements reported to them. The steps listed above are the limits of our enforcement. The copyright holder, regardless of the colleges actions, may at any time seek damages from the infringer at there own discretion. To date, no SUNY New Paltz student has had legal action brought against them by a copyright holder.

Q4. If I legally own the music on my computer, can I still be guilty of copyright infringement?

A. Yes. It is illegal to share copyrighted material with others even if you have a legal copy.

Q5. Can I get caught even if I’m not downloading anymore?

A. Yes. If you have a file sharing program that is still active on your computer, it could still be sharing files (music/movies) while you’re online.

Q6. Am I still responsible even though someone else shared files while I was logged on with my user ID?

A. Yes. You are responsible for any actions taken with the use of your user ID. For this reason it is important not share your ID or password with others.

Q7. I don’t even have a computer, why did I get an Infringement notice?

A. You may have logged onto a friends computer that had a file sharing program running while you were using it.

Q8. Will turning off Windows “Shared Documents” prevent sharing over the Internet?

A. No! Disabling Windows sharing only affects local sharing on the campus network. Other programs (see partial list, Q10) can still share files over the Internet.

Q9. What do I need to do to prevent this from happening again?

A. The sharing of all copyrighted material (Music, Movies, Software, Books and other intellectual property) is illegal, therefore it is important to disable any file sharing programs that may be sharing copyright material or remove such programs if sharing can not be disabled.

Q10. I don’t know what programs could be sharing, is there a list of possible programs?

A. There are too many file sharing programs to list them all but here are a few common ones:

Name Platform

Acquisition Mac OS X

Apollon Unix-like/KDE

BearFlix Microsoft Windows

BearShare (Before Version 6) Microsoft Windows

Cabos Java

FrostWire Java

giFT Cross-platform

Gnucleus/GnucDNA Microsoft Windows

Gtk-gnutella Unix-like, Mac OS X

iMesh Microsoft Windows

KCeasy Microsoft Windows

Kiwi Alpha Microsoft Windows

LimeWire Java

Morpheus Microsoft Windows

MP3 Rocket Java

Phex Java

Poisoned Mac OS X

Shareaza Microsoft Windows

Symella Symbian OS

XFactor Mac OS X

Q11. Can anyone help me identify or disable my file sharing software?

A. Contact the Student Help Desk. (845) 257-3597 ● helpdesk@newpaltz.edu ● HUM103

Q12. Where can I get a copy of the DMCA law?

A. http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf