It is the policy of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine to comply with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. All PCOM faculty, staff, students are expected to act as responsible users of the copyrighted works of others which includes making informed decisions based on the fair use exemptions to the copyright laws.
U.S. laws protect the rights of individuals regarding their own works. The penalties for violation of copyright law can range from college sanctions to civil and criminal prosecution. Persons who copy and distribute copyrighted material without legal permission may be found liable for civil or criminal copyright infringement. Civil penalties for federal copyright infringement provide for significant financial compensation for damages such as $150,000 for each willful act. Criminal penalties can be up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. The College cannot protect students, faculty or staff from a copyright complaint, and the college may also be required by law to disclose information to a complainant for use in pursuing legal action. Copyright infringement may also result in college-imposed sanctions for misconduct.
Federal copyright law protects “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium,” which includes works of literature, music, drama, film, sculpture, visual art, architecture, and other creative media. (Title 17, U.S. Code, Section 101.) Most works published after 1923 (except those authored by the U.S. Government) should be presumed to be copyright protected, unless there is information or notice from the copyright holder that the work is in the public domain Works published prior to March 1, 1989, generally require a copyright notice to be protected, but those published on or after March 1, 1989 are not required for copyright protection. Copyright Office Circular 22 explains how to determine the copyright status of a work.
The doctrine of "Fair Use" (section 107 of the U.S. copyright law) in limited situations permits the use of a copyrighted work, including reproducing portions of that work, without the copyright owner's permission. Section 107 of the Copyright Act establishes four basic factors to be examined in determining whether a use constitutes a "Fair Use" under the copyright law. These factors are:
No factor is determinative of a person's right to use a copyrighted work without permission. Educational use alone is not sufficient to make the use in question a fair one. Photocopies or other reproductions can be furnished only under certain conditions, if they will be used solely for private individual study, scholarship, or research. Use of the reproduction for other purposes may make the user liable for copyright infringement.
PCOM reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying request, if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. (17 U.S.C. 207, and under title 17 of the U.S. Code as amended by Pub. Law 94-553: 108, 702. Dated August 9, 1977).
The College has implemented measures within the PCOM information system that prevent the use of Peer to Peer file sharing applications on all campus network computers. However, students should be aware of the implications and risks of using such applications on personal computers.
Copying or distributing copyrighted media such as songs, movies, software, video games, text and pictures, without authorization from the copyright owner may constitute copyright infringement. The Copyright owner has the right to control, within certain limits, how their works are published, distributed, and sold, and the correlative right to be paid for the use of a work. A number of copyright infringement lawsuits and subpoenas have been filed by major companies and their respective industry associations, including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). Federal copyright law entitles the copyright holders to seek statutory damages of up to $150,000 for each act of willful infringement (for example, each song or movie illegally copied or distributed).
Below are lists of sites that offer free or inexpensive products that can be used as alternatives to illegal downloading:
The rights of an individual in regard to his or her own oral presentations, visual productions, computer programs, graphics, etc. must be honored. Faculty, fellow students, and other presenters are under no obligation to permit the recording or duplication of their presentations or academic material. Video cameras are not permitted in any classroom or lab without the expressed written consent of the campus Dean’s Office and the instructor.
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