Original Date: 6/22/2010 * Last Revision Effective: 4/6/2015
Policy Contact: Vice President, Student Affairs
Policy
Bellevue College respects the individual initiative and inventiveness involved in the creation of intellectual property. Though modern technological developments have made infringement of copyrights technically simple and even commonplace in our society, the college expects all students to comply with applicable federal, state and local laws governing copyrighted digital material.
In order to comply with the law established under the federal Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA), signed into law on August 14, 2008, the college will establish and implement written procedures for explicitly informing students about copyright law and campus policies related to violating copyright law, civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials, alternatives to illegal downloading of copyrighted digital materials, and college disciplinary procedures for handling incidents of unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
These established procedures will also include a written plan for effectively reducing—through the use of one or more technology-based restrictions—the unauthorized electronic distribution of copyrighted materials by student users of the college network, including distribution through peer-to-peer file sharing. This plan will include a process for periodically reviewing the effectiveness of these restrictions using relevant assessment criteria. Any procedures established under this policy may not unduly interfere with legitimate educational and research use of the college network. Failure to establish these procedures would risk withdrawal of federal funding for the college.
Responsibilities
All Bellevue College students will comply with this policy and its accompanying procedures document. College representatives also have responsibilities under this policy, including:
Policy Maintenance
- Student Affairs
The primary responsibility for maintenance and administration of this policy rests with the vice president of student affairs. The vice president is responsible for drafting updates and changes to this policy, with input from the campus.
- Information Technology Services (ITS)
Information technology services will work with the director of the library media center to establish the procedures and technical processes required to implement this policy.
Relevant Laws and Other Resources
- Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)
- Bellevue College Policy #3600: Copyright and the Right of Fair Use
- Bellevue College Procedure #2900P: Digital Copyright Safeguards for Students (Procedures)
Revision History
Original 6/22/2010
Revisions 9/11/2012; 4/6/2015
Approved By
President’s Cabinet
Last Updated July 9, 2019