Message from Dean Guzelimian on copyright and P2P policies @ Juilliard
“Everyone who loves music should be able to enjoy the wonderful recordings that are created. But it’s no secret that it takes hard work, expense and many people to make great recordings. Artists and composers—particularly the younger ones—will not stand a chance of creating music in the future if their recordings are simply stolen in this way.” -- Luciano Pavarotti
To the Juilliard Community:
We are writing to remind you that it is the policy of The Juilliard School to comply with the United States copyright laws. Juilliard does not permit the use of its network to download illegally or share copyrighted works, including songs, movies, televisions shows, photographs and books. While there are some exceptions, most file sharing over the Internet using Peer to Peer programs such as KaZaA, Limewire, or BitTorrent is illegal because it involves the distribution of copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner.
As a community dedicated to preparing students for careers in the performing arts, all of us must remain aware that illegal downloading and file sharing is stealing, and diminishes the opportunities and futures of our own students, classmates and colleagues. In addition, movies and music downloaded via file-sharing software may contain viruses and spyware that can, without your knowledge or consent, share your personal information, harm your computer and slow or damage the entire Juilliard network. Finally, activity over the Internet is not anonymous. If you are caught, you face potential criminal and civil liability and there will be little that Juilliard can do to help you.
Illegal downloading is monitored by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). These organizations have successfully sued students and others collecting damages in the thousands of dollars. Civil liability for copyright violations can result in penalties up to $150,000 per violation.
There are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself. Do not use file sharing programs. In some cases these programs share your downloaded files without your permission but you will still be liable legally. Do not have anything on your computer that you do not own or have a license to use. Unless you own the copyright, do not knowingly share files, even those files you have downloaded or purchased legally.
As an Internet Service Provider (ISP), Juilliard is required under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to respond to copyright violation complaints. Juilliard is also required to have a policy that terminates the network privileges of network users who repeatedly violate the copyright law. It is Juilliard policy to impose sanctions that range from a temporary block on network access of the offender’s computer to complete termination of network access and other disciplinary action.
If you have questions about Juilliard’s copyright policy or any P2P file sharing issue, please contact copyright@juilliard.edu. Appropriate staff at Juilliard will respond and provide as much guidance as possible.