Higher Education Opportunity Act

Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Requirements

In 2008, Congress passed and the president signed the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). Several of the Act’s provisions are intended to reduce unauthorized duplication of copyrighted works through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing on campus networks. TVCC disseminates this notice in compliance with that legislation and the Department of Education’s regulations in 34 C.F.R. Part 668 (Subpart D).

It is strongly advised that students read this notice thoroughly and give it careful consideration.

Trinity Valley Community College provides various information technology resources, including connectivity to a high speed network that help students accomplish their educational goals. When a student activates his/her TVCC Cardinal ID, he/she agrees to abide by the College’s Acceptable Use Policy outlined in TVCC Board Policy CR (LOCAL). More specifically, he/she agrees not to use College resources for unauthorized duplication, use or distribution of copyrighted materials, including, but not limited to, music and video files. The College considers unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted music and videos to be an inappropriate use of its network resources. Furthermore, such activity is illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and exposes users to serious civil and criminal penalties.