Copyright Infringement Policy

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of the Copyright Infringement Policy is to comply with copyright law for the use of copyrighted material on the institution's computers and network. In addition, this policy seeks to make aware to all users of the seriousness, as well as possible consequences, for unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

The federal Copyright law (Title 17, United States Code, Section 10 et seq.) requires students at Kansas City University to respect the proprietary rights of owners of copyrights and refrain from actions that constitute an infringement of copyright or other proprietary rights.

II. REFERENCES

  1. 17 USC 504 and 505
  2. 17 ISC 506
  3. 34 CFR 668(a)(10)
  4. KCU Student Handbook

III. DEFINITIONS

  1. Copyright: Copyright is a set of exclusive legal rights authors have over their intellectual property for a limited period of time. The owners' rights include copying the works, making derivative works, distributing, and performing the works. Currently, the author's rights begin when a work is created. A work does not have to have a Copyright notice or be registered to be Copyrighted. Copyright protects "a unique expression" but does not protect facts, systems, processes or ideas. Click this link for additional information: The Copyright Act (Title 17 of the U.S. Code)

IV. POLICY

  1. Potential Civil and Criminal Sanctions for Copyright Infringement

    1. Any unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing, may subject students to civil and criminal liabilities. Students who disregard this policy place themselves individually at risk of civil and criminal liability.
    2. A student who is found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay actual damages or “statutory” damages in an amount of not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For a “willful” infringement, damages may be awarded by a court up to $150,000 per work infringed. Courts can also assess costs and attorneys' fees, in its discretion. See 17 U.S.C. §§ 504 and 505. Also, “willful” copyright infringement can result in imprisonment of up to five years for a first-time offense and additional fines. See 17 U.S.C. § 506 and 18 U.S.C. § 2319.

  2. Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

    It is a violation of copyright law to use file-sharing software to download music, movies and other copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder.

    All network traffic is subject to monitoring procedures conducted by the Office of Information Technology for purposes of determining compliance with University policies. Outside parties also actively monitor the internet to find incidents of illegal file sharing and may notify the University of such activity. When such a notification is provided by an outside source, the University may disable a person's network access until the situation is resolved.

  3. Disciplinary Measures

    Students found to have illegally shared files over the University's network are subject to the full range of disciplinary sanctions available pursuant to the University's Student Handbook and other applicable policies.

V. RELEVANT FORMS/LINKS

None currently

VI. QUESTIONS/RESPONSIBLE OFFICE

The office responsible for this policy is the Compliance Office: [email protected]

VII. POLICY ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT DATES

  1. Adopted: July 15, 2026
  2. Updated: