AR 3710: Securing of Copyright

Combating illegal use of the Mt. Hood Community College network, including the use, distribution, and/or storage of copyrighted materials without unduly interfering with the legitimate educational and research use of the college network, is required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 which bans unauthorized peer to peer (P2P) file sharing technology. Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States for "original works of authorship," including literary, dramatic, musical, architectural, cartographic, choreographic, pantomimic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, and audiovisual creations.

The college is committed to preventing, in so far as practicable, the misuse of its computer network and other information technology (IT) resources. It is the college’s intent to maintain the integrity of the college computer network by utilizing the methods described in this regulation and the college’s procedures on this topic. This regulation is also intended to mitigate the college’s potential exposure to security risks and liabilities associated with the exploitation of P2P technologies and other mechanisms to obtain copyrighted material that the college does not have permission to use.

Application of Regulation

  • IT Resources: This regulation applies to all IT Resources, including the college network and any other IT Resource made available to the college community through a college vendor-secured network, and other electronic devices regardless of ownership when such a device is actively used on the college network or is otherwise interfacing with a college IT resource. This regulation applies to any computer or other device that is accessing college IT resources regardless of the physical location.
  • Users of IT Resources: This regulation applies to all individuals using the college’s IT resources, including but not limited to consultants, contractors, employees, members of the public, students, and volunteers.

Prohibited Activities

  • Violations of this regulation: Using the college network or any college IT resource to illegally distribute, download, upload, stream, scan, store, or share any copyrighted materials that the college does not have permission to use or distribute, including software, data, documents, sounds, music, videos, pictures, designs, graphics, games or any other electronic files is prohibited.
  • Circumvention: Users of the college’s IT Resources shall not attempt to circumvent, bypass, defeat, or disrupt any device, method, or technology used to implement this regulation.

Definitions

The terms below shall have the meaning ascribed next to each:

  • College Network: Any part of the college's data, voice, or video network physically located on any college-owned, leased, or rented property or located on the property of any third party with the permission of that party. This includes devices on such network, whether assigned any routable and non-routable IP addresses and applies to the college's wireless network and any other vendor-supplied network made available to the college community.
  • IT: The college's information technology department.
  • Information Technology Resources: The college network and all college computers and computer components, mobile devices, electronic storage devices, wiring, and electronic transmission devices owned, leased, rented, or operated by the college and/or all college-owned or licensed software.
  • Peer-to-Peer (P2P): A network environment where participants share their resources (such as files, disk storage, or processing power) directly with their peers without having to go through an intermediary network host or server.

Approved: 8/27/92

Revised: 10/4/16, 8/29/23

References: 17 United States Code 201;