Policy: Copyright- Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) Guidelines

University Policy: Information Access & Technologies

These provisions include requirements that:

• Institutions make an annual disclosure that informs students that the illegal distribution of copyrighted materials may subject them to criminal and civil penalties, and describes the steps that institutions will take to detect and punish illegal distribution of copyrighted materials.
• Institutions certify to the Secretary of Education that they have developed plans to "effectively combat" the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
• Institutions, "to the extent practicable," offer alternatives to illegal file sharing.
• Institutions identify procedures for periodically reviewing the effectiveness of the plans to combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials.

Annual Disclosure

Consistent with our educational principles, we view education as the most important element in combating illegal sharing of copyrighted materials at University of Wisconsin-Platteville. We use a wide variety of methods to inform our community about the law and University of Wisconsin-Platteville's response to copyright infringement claims:

• In order to use college computing resources, all students agree to the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus. The AUP can be viewed at https://uwplatt.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/111/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=10084, and the The Universities of Wisconsin Regent Policy Document 25-3: "Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources" https://www.wisconsin.edu/regents/policies/acceptable-use-of-information-technology-resources/
• During NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION for the new incoming class, the Information Technology Services (ITS) Help Desk provides a staffed table and distributes this handout in printed form containing information about copyright and piracy.
• In order to gain access to the network in the residence halls on the UW-Platteville campus, students need to register their computer through NetReg. In this process, students will be asked five questions related to copyright and copyright law. Their computer is not active on the network until all five questions are answered correctly. If a question is answered incorrectly, the system will pick another five questions for the student to answer.
• Students using campus wireless networks are also subject to these rules per the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources Policy. 
• If the University of Wisconsin-Platteville receives a take-down notice from any copyright holder, the networking information (IP and MAC Address) will be tracked in the logs by our Information Technology Services (ITS) Department. An issue will be created in the ITS ticketing system and the ITS Help Desk Manager will be notified. Actions and sanctions will be followed in accordance with the student conduct process posted at https://uwplatt.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/111/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=4897

Plans to Effectively Combat the Unauthorized Distribution of Copyrighted Material

• University of Wisconsin-Platteville currently deploys technologies to reduce the ability to share copyrighted material illegally, and we reserve the right to modify that technology to protect the institution and enforce the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources Policy.
• University of Wisconsin-Platteville also responds to and acts upon all Digital Millennium Copyright Act notices according to policies laid out in the ITS Knowledge Base document https://uwplatt.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/111/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=4896 

Offering Alternatives to Illegal File-Sharing

• Members of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville are encouraged to take advantage of legitimate sources of digital content. Legal options for obtaining music, videos, and other digital content can be located at http://www.educause.edu/focus-areas-and-initiatives/policy-and-security/educause-policy/issues-and-positions/intellectual-property/legal-sources-onli.

Reviewing Effectiveness

• UW-Platteville and ITS will review any DMCA/take down notices received and adjust our technology protections appropriately. We will also review our training and education material to keep it up-to-date.

Adopted June 2010; modified June 2019

H.R 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), is a re-authorization of the Higher Education Act. It includes provisions that are designed to reduce the illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted works through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing.

If you have questions, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 608.342.1400 or helpdesk@uwplatt.edu.  You may also visit the Help Desk on the first floor of the Karrmann Library.