http://www.colby.edu/info.tech/BI211//
Computers can easily be used to make copies of a wide assortment of digital material including software, images, and audio recordings. Distributing or receiving copies of any material protected by copyright without permission of the copyright holder is a violation of federal and state law and Colby policy. Felony charges carrying severe penalties could be brought in state or federal court, and the owner of the copyright could also seek compensation in civil court.
Information Technology Services staff does not monitor individual computer use on the campus network but, in the process of investigating network traffic congestion or other problems, may become aware of violations of the law or College policy and will report this information as required in the code of ethics. However, organizations such as those in the recording, film, and software industries, as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations, can and almost certainly do actively observe what people here at Colby are providing to others on the Internet. There is no anonymity on the Internet. Be aware that computer files you make available to others through the Internet are subject to investigation by those entities outside the College and, if found to be illegal, may result in criminal prosecution and civil litigation.
According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Recording Industry Association of America has notified 300 colleges and universities that students were observed to be illegally making available copies of audio recordings through computers on the campus network. The article reports that at Carnegie Mellon University 71 students had their residence hall network access terminated as a result of violations of copyright. Last spring, three students at Bates College were arrested for making available through the campus network and the Internet illegal copies of computer software and their computers were seized as evidence. A student at the University of Oregon last fall pleaded guilty to federal charges of criminal copyright infringement. Even though these students have apparently avoided prison terms and major fines, there were legal costs incurred, not to mention the emotional trauma that is inevitable when under criminal indictment. In addition to the criminal court action, the Bates students were found guilty in campus judiciary hearings on charges associated with their violation of copyright law and placed on disciplinary probation.
Colby's Code of Ethics for Information Technology (printed in the student handbook and available on the web at (http://www.colby.edu/info.tech/about/) specifies that violations of copyright make one subject to disciplinary action. It also warns that federal, state, and local criminal and civil prosecution may occur. At Bates and at the University of Oregon, it was the institution that discovered the violations and reported them to law enforcement authorities for investigation. The law requires reporting such violations.
We all must abide by copyright restrictions. If you are distributing or accessing unauthorized copies of computer software, still images, video, audio files (MP3 or other formats) or any other copyrighted material, you are putting yourself at great risk. Do not post illegal copies of copyrighted items on web pages or run applications like "Napster" or other servers unless you are sure that you are not violating copyright law in the process.
If you have any questions or comments, please send me e-mail at rbphilli@colby.edu, call 3582, or see me in Lovejoy 105.
page last modified 7 June 2000
questions, comments to rbphilli@colby.edu
Copyright Colby College
By its very nature, the World Wide Web (WWW) is a diverse and complex resource with great potential to enhance acquaintance with the broad knowledge which is the basis of the liberal arts and lifelong learning. Colby's WWW Server will be used by faculty, students and staff to facilitate the teaching, learning, research, and administrative functions which take place both on campus and off. It will be used as a channel for the distribution of information about the college, its programs, and activities to the world at large. Finally, it will be used to enhance a campus environment in which our students are able to participate in a free and open exchange of ideas and views in creative and responsible ways.
Official Colby WWW pages will be sponsored by a recognized entity of the College, such as an administrative office, an academic department, or a student organization. These entities will have broad discretion in creation and organization of such pages as long as they meet the guidelines and responsibilities outlined here. Sponsors will have write privileges only to their section of the server.
A portion of the server may be set aside for the creation of individual home pages by students, faculty, or staff. Pages of this type would be expected to meet the same legal and policy guidelines as the official pages. Pages would be removed when the person departs from the Colby campus. Limitations on the size and number of these pages may be imposed if resources become overburdened. A Server Administrator who will maintain the register of contact persons and create their access permissions will be appointed by Information Technology Services. General oversight of the WWW pages and policies governing the use of these network facilities will be the responsibility of the Web Policy Group.
While the responsibility for the preparation of materials will reside with each sponsoring entity or individual, the Library, Information Technology Services, and the Information Technology Committee will provide workshops, documentation and other resources to aid in the creation of high quality WWW pages.
Colby's WWW Server may not be used in any manner prohibited by law or disallowed by licenses, contracts, or College regulations. Groups or individuals creating or sponsoring web pages are accountable for the information they "publish" and should be aware of College policies regarding confidential information, harassment, and the Principles for Computer Use. Areas of concern include but are not limited to:
In cases where there is a violation of these guidelines or related regulations or laws, a page may be removed from network access while the matter is referred to the appropriate College authority. Anyone who is uncertain whether a particular use is appropriate should consult with an appropriate advisor before creating their page. The Director of Information Technology Services or the Chair of the Information Technology Committee will help anyone to identify the appropriate advisor, who in most cases will be the employee's supervisor or department chair or, in the case of students, a representative of the Dean of Students.
The College disclaims all responsibility for servers that may emerge on campus other than the Colby WWW Server. No such server may use Colby's name, logo, or other symbols identified with the college, nor purport to speak for the College or any of its departments, nor imply an association with or sponsorship by the College.
page last modified 28 March 2000
questions, comments to rbphilli@colby.edu
Copyright Colby College
Alice,You are welcome to use my Flowering Plant Taxonomy web pages in your presentations and publications, including CD, for academic, non-commercial purposes, as long as the substantive content is not altered or fragmented, and there is acknowledgement of my retained copyright ownership of this material.
The following directory and all sub-directories are related to this course.
http://www.colby.edu/info.tech/BI211/ I expect to be doing some work on these pages between now and the first of September 2000, but do not know when I will be able to get to it.
I understand the difficulty of having a mirror site. I will need more specific instructions regarding the configuration of a FTP-version of the site. I am assuming you want something like a Zip, tar, or compacted file of some sort. Zip is not, I believe, capable of having a directory hierarchy. I think you need to specify your approved configurations on this.
Ray