Table of Contents
1. Introduction
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), described as the most dramatic change to copyright law in a generation, was the 105th Congress's effort to update copyright law for the digital environment.
WARNING: Under the DMCA, The University of Texas at Austin reserves the right to terminate computing services of users who repeatedly infringe upon the rights of copyright owners. If you have questions about whether you may be infringing on another's copyright, please see the UT Libraries Copyright Crashcourse.
Designated Agent to Receive Notification of Copyright Infringement Claims:
Cam Beasley
Telephone: (512) 475-9476
FAX: (512) 475-9454
E-mail: DMCAagent@utexas.edu
2. Process for DMCA Takedown Notices Involving Personally Owned Systems
The DMCA Agent:
- Verifies the report adheres to DMCA specifications.
- Identifies the responsible user.
- Forwards the report to the responsible user and informs the user of the university's policies and legal obligations to respond to legal requests for further information. The DMCA Agent also points the user to best practices that are available online.
- Copies the notice to Student Judicial Services (SJS), for informational purposes.
No further action is taken by the DMCA Agent.
If multiple offenses occur, the DMCA Agent will inform SJS and the student may be required to take additional awareness training and may also lose privileges to use the campus network.
3. Process for DMCA Takedown Notices Involving University Owned Systems
The DMCA Agent:
- Verifies report adheres to DMCA specifications.
- Identifies the responsible user.
- Forwards the report to the responsible user and informs the user of the university's policies and legal obligations to respond to legal requests for further information. The DMCA Agent also points the user to best practices that are available online. Notices are also copied to the respective supervisor. Disciplinary actions are generally left to the discretion of local management.
- If no response is received within twenty-four hours of identifying the user, the connection is disabled until the local technical support contact (TSC) contacts the DMCA Agent.
If multiple offenses occur, the DMCA Agent will inform the Provost or other appropriate management so that the appropriate disciplinary action can be taken.
4. Process for DMCA Pre-suit Settlement Notices
The DMCA Agent:
- Verifies the report adheres to DMCA specifications.
- Identifies the responsible user.
- Forwards the report to the responsible user and informs them of the university's policies and legal obligations to respond to legal requests for further information. The DMCA Agent also points the user to best practices that are available online.
- Recommends the user consult with Legal Services for Students, or other legal counsel to determine what future actions are necessary.
No further action is taken by the DMCA Agent.
5. Process for DMCA Related Subpoenas Requesting Identifying Information
The DMCA Agent:
- Receives verified lawful requests from the Office of Legal Affairs.
- Identifies the responsible user.
- Provides timely response to the requestor with requested identifying information, if it is available.
- Informs the responsible user that the university has responded to a subpoena request, which identified them as being associated to an alleged copyright violation.
- Recommends the user consult with Legal Services for Students, or other legal counsel to determine what future actions are necessary.
No further action is taken by the DMCA Agent.
6. REVISION HISTORY
| Version | Date | New | Original |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMCA.html | 6/18/2013 | Converted back to HTML | |
| DMCA.pdf | 4/26/2012 | Converted web page to PDF |
7. APPROVALS
| Name | Role | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Beasley | Chief Information Security Officer | 08/24/2015 |