The following is GVSU's copyright policy and links to some inexpensive/free ways to listen to music and watch tv/movies without breaking Copyright laws.

Copyright Policy

As you may be aware, the downloading or sharing of audio and video files on the Internet continues to be a problem.  I am writing today to clarify the legal implications, explain our policy as it relates to copyright law, and provide alternative legal options for downloading.

It has always been against the law to copy someone else's work without permission, and downloading songs from the Internet for personal use without permission and/or without paying the owner is considered theft.  While not all material available on the Internet is protected by copyright, much of it is.

The U.S. Copyright Law, also found under Title 17 of the United States Code, contains serious penalties for violation of the law. Fines are assessed on each illegal copy of an item.  Copying more than $1,000 worth of material can bring criminal penalties and include fines of up to $250,000 and prison terms of up to ten years.

The recording, software, and movie industries continue their efforts to enforce copyright laws and are able to easily track people who maintain servers with illegal files or have downloaded files from these sites.  GVSU has had hundreds of outside copyright complaints since 2001 that have been handled within the GVSU student judiciary system.

Our policy is to immediately block your network access if we are notified that a violation has occurred. You may be exposed to a civil lawsuit from the holder of the copyright and/or a criminal charge from the federal courts. Should you lie about your having the legal right to the material in question you may also face perjury charges.  Complaints are referred to the Dean of Students office and can result in penalties of suspension.

Information on anti-piracy and lawsuits can be found at:
http://www.riaa.com/
http://www.mpaa.org/

Please review the policies listed below for a complete understanding of your rights, responsibilities and ownership of the accounts granted to you through the Information Technology department at GVSU.  All policies can be found at:
v09.lkgear.com/it
then click on Policies and Procedures.
      Electronic Media Intellectual Property Rights Policy
      Computing Conditions of Use
      Student Computing Account Agreement
      Electronic Mail Policy