Copyright Infringement FAQ

  1. I received an email from ResTek about a copyright infringement allegation. What happens now?

    2. Your Resident Director will be contacting you to set up a meeting to talk about the issue. Please regularly check your MyWestern email (including the junk folder) along with your snail mail to make sure you receive any attempts to schedule a meeting.

  2. Will I get my connection back and how long will it take?

    3. ResTek does not make that decision, that is something your Resident Director will decide during your meeting. How long it takes depends on a couple different things; what your Resident Director’s schedule is like and how often you check your MyWestern email and/or regular mailbox. Most of the time this is dealt with within one week.

  3. Does this mean I am being sued?

    4. No, you are not currently being sued. However, students have been sued for downloading and sharing pirated copyrighted materials.

  4. I have homework, need to study, or take a test online. How am I supposed to do that?

    5. You can still get online to do homework, take tests, and study if you go to a computer lab on campus. The only place you will not be able to access the internet is from your room. Please see the schedule for the hours that the ATUS computer labs are available.

  5. Does ResTek watch everything I do online?

    6. No, we can only see when you are online, not specifically what you are doing.

  6. Where is ResTek getting this information?

    7. The University receives emails from outside sources about alleged copyright infringement. These sources include the Entertainment Software Association, the Recording Industry Association of America, HBO, NBC/Universal, Warner Bros, and BayTSP.

  7. I paid for LimeWire (or Kazaa, etc.) so how am I getting in trouble for downloading?

    8. Paying for the actual program is often confused with paying for the music. You have to read the fine print before forking out money like that. For peer to peer file sharing programs you are paying for the ability to use the program without any advertisements and sometimes for faster speeds, not necessarily for the material you download.

  8. Why do you provide DC++ if we are not allowed to use it?

    9. The University does not provide or support DC++. It is no different than any other file-sharing program out there.

  9. I don’t understand how I was sharing. What are the default settings?

    10. Most, if not all, of the programs are set by default to share the files you download or other files on your computer based off the folders that are watched by the program. If you do not know how to use the program or understand the default settings you should not be using it.

  10. I have a wireless router that I let my roommate/friends use. It could have been one of them. Am I still responsible?

    11. Yes! The router is registered under your name, therefore you are responsible for every bit of traffic that goes through it. If you do not want to risk it then do not let anybody else have access to it.

  11. I did not know how to set a password on my wireless router, it could have been anybody. Am I still responsible?

    12. Yes. See the above answer. If you do not know how to properly secure a router you should ask us for help or not use one.

For more information on file-sharing and copyright and legal options for downloading music please see our file-sharing and copyright page.