Copyright Infringement Policy

Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading, or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) includes provisions that are designed to reduce the illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing. These provisions include requirements that:

• Institutions certify to the Secretary of Education that they have developed plans to “effectively combat” the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
• Institutions make an annual disclosure that informs students that the illegal distribution of copyrighted materials may subject them to criminal and civil penalties and describes the steps that institutions will take to detect and punish illegal distribution of copyrighted materials.
• Institutions publicize alternatives to illegal file sharing.
• American University of Health Sciences currently employs bandwidth-shaping technology to prioritize network traffic, and blocks students’ ability to access these sites from the student computer networks.
• American University of Health Sciences responds promptly to legitimate notices or letters of illegal copyright infringement based on the requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and directs both its Information Technology and Compliance departments to investigate and respond.