MUIH makes network resources and internet access available to students, in part due to legal protections provided by the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA). Your use of the university’s network resources and internet access is additionally governed by our Email, Computer Usage, and Internet Access policy.The use of university resources to download, duplicate, or distribute copyrighted materials is strictly prohibited. 

This Copyright Infringement and Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Policy prohibits members of the university community from engaging in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including the use of peer-to-peer file sharing programs to download or upload copyrighted material using GW’s computer network.  Some examples of the copyrighted material include, but are not limited to: music, videos, movies, television shows, games, textbooks, dramatic plays, musical scores, photographs, etc.

Students found to engage the unauthorized copying and/or distribution of intellectual property may be subject to disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct where potential outcomes include, but are not limited to, losing access to the university computer network. 

Students may also face independent civil or criminal action from the copyright owner related to the violation, which includes monetary fines for actual damages and profits, statutory damages up to $150,000, costs and attorney’s fees, and additional damages in certain cases.  For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505 for further details.

For more information, students may reference the following information: