Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

Statement of Compliance with Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Requirements in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 specifies that Universities must address the following to discourage copyright abuse on their campuses:

  1. An annual disclosure to students describing copyright law and campus policies related to violating copyright law.
  2. A plan to "effectively combat" copyright abuse on the campus network using "one or more technology-based deterrents."
  3. Agreement to "offer alternatives to illegal downloading."

Brandeis University was in compliance with these requirements even before these regulations were enacted, is compliant with these requirements today, and has an active, ongoing program to remain in compliance with these requirements going forward.

The Brandeis compliance program first and foremost focuses on educating members of the community regarding copyright laws and the University's commitment to respecting intellectual property rights.

Education, Training and Security Awareness Programs

In addition, Brandeis University employs multiple technological and procedural deterrents that reinforce policies and programs regarding protecting intellectual property and identifying potential misuse.

The regulation identifies the following "technology based deterrents" to effectively combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials.

  1. Bandwidth shaping
  2. Traffic monitoring to identify the largest bandwidth users
  3. A vigorous program of accepting and responding to Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices
  4. A variety of commercial products designed to reduce or block illegal file sharing

Brandeis employs the following technological and procedural deterrents:

File Sharing Letter