Carleton’s file sharing policies

The College recognizes that the concept of file-sharing is entirely legal, as is file-sharing software. File sharing applications have many perfectly legitimate uses and the college has no desire to restrict or eliminate their use on campus. However, the College does not permit the unauthorized sharing of copyrighted material, the most common example of which is the downloading of movies, games, or software by students. This is a violation of both Carleton’s Academic User Agreement (which everyone agrees to when registering on our network), and our Community Standards Policy.

The College’s obligations

Under the Higher Education Opportunity Act, Carleton has a number of obligations with respect to this issue:

  • An annual disclosure to students describing copyright law and campus policies related to violating copyright law.
  • A plan to “effectively combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials” by users of its network, including “the use of one or more technology-based deterrents.”
  • A plan to “offer alternatives to illegal downloading.” (See the Carleton Library’s guide to legal alternatives to illegal file sharing.)

Consequences of copyright infringement

The full implications and possible consequences of copyright infringement are not always fully understood by those involved. Some do not realize that downloading or sharing copyrighted materials is illegal, or just don’t think of it as such. Some people realize this and shrug it off as “not that illegal.” But the consequences are very real.

  • Carleton faculty, staff, and students can be (and have been) held personally liable for unauthorized use of copyrighted works.
  • If you are infringing — even unwittingly — you can be subject to civil damages of between $750 and $150,000 per infringement and even criminal jail time.
  • In response to a qualified DMCA notification of claimed infringement, Carleton may temporarily suspended your network access until such time as the issue is resolved. In the event of student violations, your case may be referred to the Dean of Students office for appropriate disciplinary action.