Avoiding Unauthorized Distribution of Copyrighted Materials

Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) Compliance

Copyrights are exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright infringement is the act of violating the exclusive rights of a copyright owner. Examples include copying or performing a work without the copyright owner's permission, or creating a work of one's own that derives from a copyrighted work. This may include file sharing, i.e., sharing digital files electronically, often with peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, such as music, movies, games, computer software, and television shows. It is a crime to share files unless either: you create them yourself as an original work, the files are in the public domain, or you have been granted permission to share the files.