From September 1st a change in the copyright law comes into force which applies to all internet users in New Zealand.
This law provides content owners (Rights holders) of copyrighted works such as movies, TV shows and music with a quicker and easier way to penalise people infringing their copyright (from illegal downloading). This change affects all users of all systems at UCOL, including staff, students, casual users, students in clinical placements , and businesses on campus using UCOL internet access, irrespective of location.
Important information
A successful infringement allegation can see UCOL being fined up to $15,000.00 per infringement with the potential of having the internet connection to UCOL being cut for up to six months for all users. UCOL’s Acceptable Computer Use Policy already makes clear that any Copyright Infringement is prohibited. However it is important that students are aware that
UCOL will consider any offending to be a serious matter requiring disciplinary action and will seek to recover any consequential costs resulting from an infringement notice from the person found to have been responsible.
All users of UCOL’s computer systems are responsible for their own account and for any activities conducted under their account.
The relevant IT policies can be viewed on the Intranet and the student handbooks. All students are expected to be familiar with and abide by these policies.
Some guidelines to understanding the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act 2011 can be found at the links below:
Know the facts 3strikesNZ
Basics of the new law
FAQ's
Protect yourself at home
