Home | Problem Reporting | Contact Us | College of Forestry Home | Sitemap
Computing
Services
Knowledge Base
Documentation
Facilities
Training
Policies
Acceptable Use
Policy
Service
Center - Fees
and
Extended Service
Descriptions
Standards
and Basic
Service
Descriptions
> Helpdesk >Policies > Standards > MP3s and Other Music Files
Policy Regarding MP3 and Other Music Files
Purpose:
The OSU Acceptable Use Policy
prohibits copyright violations and prohibits computing practices that create serious Internet bandwidth
problems or expose the network to security risks.
Policy:
Forestry Computing Resources does not permit the storage of MP3 or other music files on network servers or public spaces without special permission. In addition Napster and other peer to peer music and video sharing packages (such as morpheus, kazaa, imesh, gnutella, grokster, ...) are not permitted on machines connected to the Forestry network.
Explanation:
The University and Forestry Computing Resources must maintain a secure and efficient network system. Peer to peer file sharing software is subject to security exploits, creates serious bandwidth problems, and creates disk space and backup problems for Forestry Computing Resources. Additionally, there are copyright and other legal issues associated with the use of MP3 files when you do not own the CD.
As a result the use of Napster and other similar peer to peer file sharing software is not permitted on campus. University policy states that, "It is the policy of the University not to monitor individual usage of any general facility. However, the University reserves the right to monitor and record the usage of all facilities if it has reason to believe that activities are taking place that are contrary to this policy or OUS, state or federal law or regulation and as necessary to evaluate and maintain system efficiency." The full OSU Acceptable Use Policy is at: /helpdesk/policies/accept_use/
Enforcement:
The Forestry Computing Group takes this very seriously. We regularly scan network spaces for MP3 (and other music files) and delete these files when we find them. We also look for peer to peer file sharing programs on machines attached to the network and delete these programs when we find them. If you have a legitimate University-related need for MP3 or other music files, notify Forestry Computing Resources before placing such files in network disk space or on a machine attached to the network otherwise the files will be deleted when they are found.
Please contact administrator@for.orst.edu if you have any questions. The Forestry Computing Group wants to answer any questions you may have and make sure you understand how to operate within the acceptable use guidelines as a part of maintaining computing resources that serve everyone's needs.