University Advisory on Compliance with Copyright Law and DMCA

Harvard is committed to maintaining the integrity and availability of its network for the vital educational and research purposes for which it was designed.

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Overview

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") of 1998 endeavors to balance the interests of internet service providers and copyright owners when copyright infringement occurs in the digital environment. The DMCA protects internet service providers from liability for copyright infringement by their users, if the internet service provider meets certain statutory requirements.

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Annual Copyright Disclosure: Key Takeaways

Do not use peer-to-peer file-sharing programs to share copyrighted works without permission.

If you share copyrighted material without permission, you may subject yourself to significant costs and possible criminal penalties.

If you are associated with repeat infringements, Harvard University may terminate your network access and refer you for disciplinary action

More about the DMCA and legal sources of online content

Copyright and Fair Use: A Guide for the Harvard Community


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