Pittsburg State University acknowledges and upholds federal and state copyright laws. Copyright protection exists for documents and information distributed and shared via the Internet. Pittsburg State University accepts the copyright guidelines outlined in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). PSU is an "online service provider" to the campus community and takes these responsibilities seriously. Pittsburg State University's students, faculty and staff must adhere to ethical copyright practices.

Termination Policy for Violation of Copyright

Pittsburg State University is an "online service provider" as defined by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) [Public Law 105-304].

Responsibility: Users of the Internet services of Pittsburg State University are responsible for compliance with all copyright laws pertaining to information they place on the Internet using University facilities.

Termination of privileges: Use of the University's online services will be terminated for anyone who violates the copyright provisions of the United States Code on the third notice of violation by the University.

Designated Agent: The Pittsburg State University "Designated Agent", as provided for by the DMCA, for notification of possible violations of copyright is:

Darron C. Farha
General Counsel
Pittsburg State University
1701 S. Broadway
Pittsburg, KS 66762-5880
Voice: 620-235-4136
Fax: 620-235-4190
E-mail: dfarha@pittstate.edu

Elements of Notification: A notification of claimed infringement must be a written communication provided to the designated agent of a service provider that includes substantially the following:

• A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site.
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to locate the material.
• Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted.
• A statement that the complaining party has made a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Take Down: Pittsburg State University will expeditiously remove and/or block access to material posted by a user upon notice of infringement of copyright provided to the Designated Agent by the United States Copyright Office.

Notice:The individual responsible for posting material suspected of copyright infringement will be promptly notified by the Designated Agent and will be provided with the following information:

• Name and address of the complaining party;
• Sufficient information to identify the copyrighted work or works; and
• A statement from the copyright owner that it has a good faith belief that there is no legal basis for the use of the materials complained of.

Privacy Rules:Under the DMCA, Pittsburg State University may be obligated to provide names of individuals using its online services upon the order of a Federal court. The University will safeguard the privacy of a user's identity on the Internet to the full extent of the law.

Circumvention of Protection Technologies: The DMCA prohibits the "circumvention" of any effective "technological protection measure" (e.g., a password or a form of encryption) used by a copyright holder to restrict access to its material.

Further Information: Questions about compliance with the DMCA at Pittsburg State University may be addressed to the Designated Agent listed above.