A message from Nancy Pringle, vice president and general counsel, and Carl Sgrecci, vice president for finance and administration
You may have read articles in the Ithaca Journal and the Ithacan over the past few weeks about recent Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) legal activity directed toward computer users at Ithaca College.
In early March the RIAA indicated that they would be stepping up their efforts focused on illegal file-sharing on college and university campuses. While much of the publicity has surrounded students engaged in file-sharing, the same issues and concerns apply to all computer users on campus, including College employees.
We want to encourage you to review the Ithaca College Copyright Policy at https://www.ithaca.edu/attorney/policies/vol2/Volume_2-232.htm. As a reminder, it is a violation of College policy to share or distribute material without the permission of a copyright owner.
If you use peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs such as LimeWire, Morpheus, BitTorrent, or any of the dozens of similar programs (visit the Wikipedia article for more examples: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing) or use other methods to download or share files, you are putting yourself and potentially the College at risk.
The RIAA has shown that they are serious in their efforts to go after people they suspect of violating the rights of the content owners they represent. College employees found to be engaging in this type of activity put themselves in significant personal legal and financial risk.
Should you receive an RIAA letter, you will be directed in the letter to contact the RIAA lawyers to discuss the settlement. You may wish to contact your own private attorney before speaking or contacting the record company lawyers. Your own counsel can best advise you in understanding your legal rights, assist you in determining your potential liability, and negotiate the best settlement, if necessary.
We encourage you to not dismiss any correspondence you might receive from the RIAA. Act responsibly and know your rights prior to responding to any letter or legal action commenced by the RIAA.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20070418112600805