Personal wireless routers are not permitted because they interfere with regular network access for other students located near them. 

If you have a wireless router connected to the network, please disconnect it immediately. Otherwise, your access to the network will be disabled until the router is removed.

Please note that this requirement is clearly stated in the college’s Policy on Acceptable Use of Computer Resources and Wireless Network Policy. 

Thank you for your help in ensuring that the Smith network is available to all students.

Since the beginning of the spring semester, ITS has been receiving increasing reports from students of network slow-downs and “sluggishness.” Our network usage statistics show this is primarily due to an increase in the overall volume of peer-to-peer traffic on the campus network.

We have also noted an increase in the number of RIAA violations and abuses of Smith’s policy on the acceptable use of computer resources.

As you know, the use of peer-to-peer clients for the distribution of copyrighted material is prohibited on campus. ITS supports downloading copyrighted music, movies, or television from legal sources, such as iTunes and Amazon.com MP3.

To minimize the impact on the Smith residential network, we strongly recommend that you always download this type of file over an Ethernet connection, rather than a wireless connection, and strongly recommend downloading full-length movies and TV-series files overnight, rather than during peak usage hours.

Thank you for your help in keeping the Smith residence network running smoothly for all students.

Regards, Kate Etzel

For more information, please take a look at previous TechNotes articles on copyright and the RIAA.

Wireless in common areas will be rolled out in four “chunks”: (1) a number of houses already have wireless, (2) some will be completed by the end of this semester, (3) another group will be finished by the beginning of the Spring semester, and (4) the final group will be wireless by the end of the Spring semester. (A few houses that do not have common areas will not be included in Phase 1, but will be included in Phase 2. Please see the deployment schedule for details.)

For more information:

• Read the letter to students living in wireless houses.
• View schedule of wireless deployment in residence houses.
• How to: Accessing the Smith Network from a Smith Residence House [TARA]

Questions? leave them in the comments!

Protect yourself from a similar lawsuit by:
• Understanding the RIAA enforcement strategy and Smith’s position.
• Removing all illegal peer-to-peer file-sharing programs from your computer.
• Knowing that illegal sharing of copyrighted files is also a violation of Smith’s Acceptable Use Policy.

For more information, read the previous TechNotes post: The RIAA & You (& Smith)

Last semester, the college received notice from an attorney at the RIAA that three complaints are pending against Internet Protocol (IP) addresses connected with computers owned by users of the Smith network.

So, what does this mean? It means that the RIAA recorded (and is pursuing) three separate instances of illegal downloading or uploading of copyrighted material on campus. The RIAA knows that the file transfer happened at Smith because the illegal activity is associated with an IP address that is known to originate from the Smith network. Every time you log onto a network (to use the internet) your computer is assigned an IP address, depending on where you are or when you connect, you could get a different IP address. The RIAA does not know who had the infringing IP address when the copyright violation occurred, but Smith does.

At this point, the college is not legally obligated to provide the RIAA with the name of the person associated with the infringing IP address. However, if the college were to receive a court order requesting the identity of the owner of the computer associated with that IP address, Smith is legally bound to comply. (This has not happened yet.)

Since the first notice from the RIAA, the college has received and forwarded pre-settlement letters to the affected students. (View a sample pre-settlement letter.) The students who receive these letters are given 40 days in which to agree to a settlement. If they choose not to settle, the RIAA has said that they will file suit in federal court. The average settlement is reported to be $3,000 while the minimum damages under copyright law are $750 per copyrighted recording.

If you are concerned that you could become a target of the RIAA’s copyright infringement lawsuits, you should stop sharing copyrighted materials immediately. From TARA: How to disable peer-to-peer file sharing on your computer
It’s also important to know that besides risking a lawsuit, the unauthorized sharing of copyrighted material is also a violation of the Smith College Policy on the Acceptable Use of Computer Resources, and a “repeat copyright violation will result in the immediate removal of computer access privileges.”

For more information about the law & Smith policies

• The RIAA has developed a Web site that answers questions about settling potential lawsuits with them: http://www.p2plawsuits.com
• Smith College Procedures for Notification of Copyright Infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act
• Copyright Law of the U.S.A.: Copyright Infringement and Remedies

Further reading

• “Music Downloads: Pirates—or Customers?” by Sean Silverthorn, published by Harvard Business School
• “Naughty Bits” by Stever Worony, published by EDUCAUSE Review — an article on the history of Digital Rights Management (DRM)
• DRM.info — an information platform of organizations and individuals concerned about the direct and collateral damage of DRM
• Apple’s “Thoughts on Music”