I got this email on my email account at school the other day....i was very frightened at first. thought i was being spied on.

here it is:

 

An Important Message on a Key Issue from the Provost

 

I have a serious message for you about making illegal copies of

copyrighted material. While you may be tempted not to read this

email, I suggest that you do so in order to better understand just

what the risks and penalties are for violating the law.

 

In recent years, high-speed computer networks and personal computers

have made it easy to copy computer programs, movies, and recordings.

Most of this material is copyrighted, which means the right to make

copies is restricted. Making copies of any copyrighted material

without the right to do so is against both state and federal law and

University policy. Most people who make illegal copies know it is

wrong, but are unaware of how severe the penalties can be.

 

The US Copyright Law (Title 17 of the US Code) has very serious

penalties for violations. These include significant fines for each

copy. If you copy more than $1,000 worth of material, there are

criminal penalties that include substantial fines of up to $250,000

and up to 10 years prison time for flagrant cases of infringement.

 

The software, record, and movie industries are stepping up their

enforcement of copyright laws. They are using computer technology to

detect those who run servers or simply download something they have

no right to possess. The likelihood of being caught is growing every

day, and prosecutions will become more frequent.

 

You may have downloaded copyrighted materials and not been caught, so

you think you're safe from prosecution. I urge you to think again.

Two students in Oregon were caught and prosecuted under the criminal

statutes. One received a suspended two-year sentence, the other spent

time in jail. A student in North Carolina spent 41 months in prison

for copyright infringement. Messing up your future is a steep price

to pay for music or a video.

 

What happens at Penn State if you are caught? By statute, the

University must immediately block your network access when we receive

notification that a particular computer has been involved in a

violation of the law. You may also be taken to court by the

copyright holder or charged in the federal courts with a crime. That

is not all that can happen. You should know that falsely certifying

either that you have the right to material or have removed it can

result in federal perjury charges as well as copyright infringement.

 

What else does Penn State do? When we receive a complaint, student

offenders are referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs and

employees to the Office of Human Resources. Why? Because it is

illegal and against University policy to infringe on someone's

copyright. A student can be expelled and an employee terminated

under University policy.

 

The bottom line is that there is a potentially high price to pay for

an illegally copied computer program, movie, or recording. Stealing

is stealing and against the law, regardless of how you try to justify

it.

 

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

 

Rodney A. Erickson

March 31, 2003

so wait, then i wrote back this...just cause i was miffed....

 

On 4/1/03 11:48 PM, "LAUREN E HYSEK" <[email protected]> wrote:

 

> A/ who is the provost///????

> and b/ why is this so random///????

>

> it's hard enough sorting through all my email as it is without "SERIOUS

> MESSAGE"

> flashing across the screen and little old me thinking a family member has died

> or something. Maybe you could tone it down next time!? Just for me. I was

> scared for a second.

THANKS

ok so then....the PROVOST whoever the hell that is! has his secretary write back to me! i was like no shit! here is what he wrote

 

The Provost has asked that I respond to you for him. You asked who the

Provost was. The Provost is the chief academic officer of the University and

also the Executive Vice President of the University. You can learn more on

the following web page. <http://www.psu.edu/oldmain/prov/duties.html>

 

Because we are concerned about the seriousness of this issue, the email you

received was sent to everyone who has an Access Account. We did not single

you or anyone else out. While we have no reason to think that you have

violated the law, we wanted to insure that everyone understood the risks

that are taken by those who ignore the law and University policy.

 

Sincerely,

 

Russ Vaught

Associate Vice Provost

Information Technology Services

The Pennsylvania State University

401 Old Main

University Park, PA 16802

(814) 863-3746

FAX: (814) 865-3082

i thought people were definitely spying on my computer or...i dunno had definitely found out that I burn cds from the internet like EVERY DAY!

 

geez!

 

i didn't know the penalties could be this severe!!!!

:o

so you WOULD be scared then?

even that name... "provost" :? .. sounds evil.. *shudder*

yea i know right!? so scary!!!! hehe. i really thought they were staking my house out and knew the amount of stealing from the internet that i do everyday1

I just bounce mails back undelivered to the sender, then they can't contact me :D

yea i know right!? so scary!!!! hehe. i really thought they were staking my house out and knew the amount of stealing from the internet that i do everyday1

 

is the computer you use part of your schools network?

i dont really copy cds that much coz i prefere to have the jaket so it looks good in my cd rak but i occasionally copy the odd one or two, the producers make enough money as it is

Yeah, i'm the same as you..i like having the cd jacket... :shrug:

Yeah I don't like the way the burned CDs look in my rack so I don't really burn albums, I only sometimes make mix CDs.

Yeah..mix cds that i bring in my car.. :lol:

yeah they are the best so you have all your favs at the same time!! :D

god that email was a bit severe!!! :? :-o

yea i know right!? so scary!!!! hehe. i really thought they were staking my house out and knew the amount of stealing from the internet that i do everyday1

 

is the computer you use part of your schools network?

 

no, its my home computer! thats why its so weird! i go to a commuter school sooooo...yea

it is very very impossible to prosecute 20 million people out there who are using illegal file sharing, they are just going to have to do something with the actual record or music to where it cannot be copied but of course technology will always come up with something that will go around that. anyways, the whole thing about penn state is happening to a lot of schools too and i actually like the idea because the majority of people who are downloading are college students. the internet is the schools network so it makes it easy for them to track down who's downloading or not.

you like the idea of cracking down on file sharing at particular schools????

 

is that what you are saying?

 

i know that at Loyola College in Maryland.....they put up huge firewalls that stop them from downloading stuff like mp3s or mpeg's........and they can download but it takes like 3 days to download a song. that's just annoying. cause ya know...sometimes you need songs for school projects....or for...inspiration...or just whateveR? hahaha ya know what i mean?

i don't like this whole "file sharing" is illegal attitude. it definitely should not be illegal. i mean, how much of their millions upon millions of dollars are the artists realllllyyyy losing! i mean...i buy a lot of albums...but i also burn a lot of albums. and a lot of times i burn albums when i just want the album right then and there and the record stores arent open yet. And then i go buy the real album later if i REALLY LOVE the album i burned...

 

eh. downloading stuff should def not be illegal. think of all the artists who promote using the internet to get their stuff.

well, it is illegal. it's outright stealing. it's exactly the same as walking into a record store and shoplifting an album (except you don't get pretty pictures in a booklet).

 

not that i'm one to talk, i download as much as anybody else. because i'm dirt poor.