The University Acceptable Use Policy

The Student Code of Conduct

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

Copyright owners do actively search for copyright infringements of their works and send takedown notices to the online service provider hosting the materials.

If copyright owners identify infringing activities concerning their copyrighted work, they or their agents may choose to send a notice to the DMCA agent registered with the US Copyright Office for the online service provider whose network is allegedly used to distribute the copyrighted material.

The DMCA 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 of a person authorized to act as an agent of the copyright holder;
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.

When the Rutgers University computing abuse team is notified by an external agent OR by a member of the University community that a user is making material available in violation of copyright, the user will be issued a notice. The user is required to remove the offending material or respond with a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the material is not infringing. Network access may be disabled if the user does not respond.

Any DMCA complaints involving students are forwarded to the to the appropriate university judicial authority for disposition. Any DMCA complaints for faculty and staff are forwarded to the appropriate department head.