UNC Leads in Internet Piracy Policy

Students no longer had to shell out the cash to bring home their favorite musical artists or view an Adam Sandler flick.

But a suffering entertainment industry quickly set out to put an end to Internet piracy, and its efforts have not proved futile. Last month, the U.S. Naval Academy seized nearly 100 student computers that contained downloaded copyrighted material.

College campuses across the nation have shown a renewed interest in cracking down on illegal downloads, and many universities are turning to UNC for guidance.

UNC has become known widely as a leader in combatting Internet piracy.

Jeanne Smythe, director for computing policies, cited two reasons the University leads in this area: the package and awareness.

It's not that UNC receives fewer violation notices, Smythe said, it's that the students are made more aware of the policy.

The University's copyright policy has been in place for more than five years, longer than the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- used to bring down file-swapping services such as Napster -- has been in existence.

Not only has the policy been in place for a long time, but it also is easily accessible through the University Web site. The UNC computing policy provides information on probable copyright violations, MP3s, unacceptable Internet etiquette and possible methods of prosecution.

The University also has used a variety of methods to educate incoming freshmen. In the past, outreach methods have included speakers, movies and presentations by ResNet employees.

It is difficult to measure the effectiveness of outreach programs, but over the past year, about 100 letters were sent to UNC from the recording and motion picture industries reporting copyright violations, Smythe said.

For the first offense, students are asked by the University to remove the illicit material and all file-sharing programs from their computers. Students who commit a second offense might face Honor Court charges.

"We do try to take the smallest action we can," Smythe said. "If we have to take your system off the network, we still leave your ONYEN functional so you can check your e-mail and grades."

More than 800 courses offered at the University rely on the network for a variety of services.

Smythe said, "We don't want academic progress to be adversely affected if we can help it."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.