Copyright provides the exclusive legal right to publish, reproduce, and distribute an original literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work. A work is protected as soon as it exists in some directly or indirectly perceptible form (physical or electronic). Federal copyright law prohibits you from publishing or otherwise distributing protected materials without the express permission of the copyright holder, and this includes music and video files often distributed via peer-to-peer file sharing software.

College IT Resources: Abuse & Consequences

ITS does not specifically monitor the network for copyright violation; however, we may uncover violations while troubleshooting technical problems or performing routine scans of network activity. Additionally, our designated DMCA Agent receives reports of copyright infringement directly from the copyright holders or their authorized representatives. We take these reports very seriously.

In accordance with copyright law, the College will respond to acts of copyright infringement committed with Penn College IT resources such as, messages/attachments sent via College-provided email systems, and electronic files transferred over the College network. Violators will be subject to the College's due process and may answer to criminal charges. Further information is available in the File Sharing section of the College's Acceptable Use Policy and in the College's Copyright Policy and Procedure statements (VII 7.17).

Report Infringement

If you believe your copyright has been violated under the provisions of The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998, please review the U.S. Copyright Office's online legislation summary (PDF) to confirm your suspicion. If you remain confident that infringement has taken place, notify our DMCA agent:

Pennsylvania College of Technology
One College Avenue
Williamsport, Pennsylvania 17701

570.326.3761

To avoid dismissal or delay of your complaint, include the following:

  • A description of the copyrighted work that is the subject of the alleged infringement
  • A description of the infringing material, including the URL or other information identifying how the material can be located
  • Your contact information (mailing address, telephone number, and email address)
  • A statement by you, signed under penalty of perjury, indicating:
    • that you have reasonable cause to believe the material in question was not authorized by the copyright owner or its agent, and as such, is in violation of copyright laws,
    • that the information you have provided is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and
    • that you have the authority to enforce the copyright of the original works.
  • A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or person authorized to act on the owner's behalf