Effective Date: July 6, 2009
Last Reviewed: July 24, 2024
Approval Date: June 16, 2026
Preamble
This Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) policy was developed to support and further implement the University Policy 4.15 – Copyright at WCM. It is intended to address WCM-specific processes for responding to Copyright Infringement notifications while maintaining alignment with overarching university standards.
Purpose
It is illegal to share copyrighted material without express consent from the copyright owner. This policy addresses WCM’s legal requirements to respond in a timely manner to electronic Copyright Infringement notifications.
Scope
This policy applies to all WCM Workforce Members who utilize WCM Information Technology Resources as well as those responsible for managing and safeguarding WCM data.
Policy
WCM does not make a distinction among ownership of computers on the WCM network. Regardless of whether the computer is owned by WCM, the WCM network shall not be used to illegally share files protected under copyright. Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs are useful tools for exchanging data and transferring files at high speeds. Perhaps due to this attribute, they are also the primary method for illegally sharing copyrighted material, such as movies, music, television shows, video games, and commercial software. Upon notification, WCM has a legal obligation to forward the notification to the user of the computer indicated in the notification and to quickly stop illegal file sharing.
Upon formal notification or due to detection, and in accordance with ITS policy 500.01 - Responsible Use of Information Technology Resources, WCM will take all necessary means, including, but not limited to, temporary disconnection from the internet or the WCM network, to stop illegal sharing of copyrighted material by users of WCM network services. The Information Technologies & Services Department (ITS), as the recipient of formal notifications of illegal file sharing, will pass those notifications, along with an internal cease and desist notice, to any user whose computer has been identified by the claim of copyright violation. Upon receipt of the notice, users must remove the named material from their computers.
Definitions
Copyright Infringement: When a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.
Workforce Members: Faculty; Non-Faculty Academics; Staff; Students; Volunteers; and other persons whose conduct, in the performance of work for WCM, is under the direction and control of WCM, regardless of whether they are paid by WCM.
Procedure
Users of P2P file sharing software should be aware that those programs search the contents of the hard drive on which they are installed and often start sharing files such as movies and music without providing an explicit notice or prompt to the user.
WCM retains the right to monitor any of its networks (in accordance with ITS policy 500.02 – Privacy of the WCM Network and Systems) and may take any relevant action to prohibit illegal file sharing as necessary.
WCM does not generate notices of illegal file sharing. ITS receives Copyright Infringement notifications from multiple groups that use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as a way of stopping illegal file sharing. For more information on the DMCA and its use, visit the U.S. Copyright Office website.
WCM does not make a distinction among ownership of computers on the WCM network. Regardless of whether the computer is owned by WCM, the WCM network shall not be used to illegally share files protected under copyright. Upon receipt of a Copyright Infringement notice, users will be forwarded copyright violation notifications, and their computers will be disconnected from the network or internet. Network and internet access will only be reactivated once the user has demonstrated to an ITS technician that the offending material has been removed.
Repeat offenders of this policy may face corrective action up to and including termination. Copyright Infringement may also lead to criminal penalties and/or civil liability to the copyright holder.
Responding to Copyright Infringement Claims
Upon receipt of a Copyright Infringement claim, ITS will forward the claim to the user whose account has infringed and include the following:
- Amend to that claim one statement similar to those below based on offense level:
a. For first-time offenders of this policy:
We have been informed that you have been sharing copyrighted material. Please IMMEDIATELY cease and desist from sharing the material listed in the following email (below). In addition, please remove all copies of the infringing material, as well as any Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applications that you have installed. Failure to comply with this notice within 48 hours will result in the interruption of your internet access to the Weill Cornell Medicine network.
b. For repeat offenders of this policy:
We have been informed that you have been sharing copyrighted material. Please IMMEDIATELY cease and desist from sharing the material listed in the following email (below). As this is the [fill in the number of times] notification we are sending regarding this material on this computer, your internet access from the Weill Cornell Medicine network has been suspended until such time as an ITS Support Technician can verify that all copies of the infringing material, as well as any Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applications that you have installed, have been removed.
Compliance with this Policy
All WCM Workforce Members are responsible for adhering to this policy. Failure to comply will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and could lead to corrective action, up to and including termination, consistent with other relevant WCM and University Policies. Instances of non-compliance that potentially involve a lapse of professionalism may lead to engagement of the Office of Professionalism for evaluation and intervention.
Contact Information
Direct any questions about this policy, ITS-500.07 - Copyright Infringement, to the Chief Information Security Officer, using one of the methods below:
- Office: (646) 962-3609
- Email: ciso@med.cornell.edu
References
- WCM Policy ITS-500.01 - Responsible Use of Information Technology Resources
- WCM Policy ITS-500.02 - Privacy of the Weill Cornell Medicine Network and Systems
- University Policy 4.15 – Copyright
Policy Approval
This policy was reviewed and approved by:
- Information Security and Privacy Advisory Committee (ISPAC) on June 4, 2026; and
- WCM-Executive Policy Review Group (WCM-EPRG) on June 16, 2026.
