Annual statement of copyright policies notice

Dear UIC community,

This is an informational notice sent in accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act. It is not a notification of any specific improper activity.

Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to a copyright owner under Section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). Infringement may occur when a copyright-protected work is reproduced or distributed without authorization, such as uploading or downloading from the internet or otherwise publishing without permission.

Protected works include, but are not limited to, textbooks, software, music, movies and TV programs. They may also include content generated by artificial intelligence, as AI-generated output can incorporate or replicate copyrighted material from its training data and may therefore be subject to copyright protections.

While there are limited exceptions, such as the doctrine of fair use, sharing substantial portions of such works - including through peer-to-peer networks - without proper authorization or meeting the exception criteria constitutes infringement.

Penalties for copyright infringement may include both civil and criminal consequences:

• Civil penalties: Courts may award actual damages or statutory damages ranging from $750 to $30,000 per infringed work. In cases of willful infringement, damages may reach up to $150,000 per work. Courts may also assess costs and attorneys' fees (Title 17 U.S. Code §§ 504-505).
• Criminal penalties: Willful infringement may result in up to five years of imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 per offense (Title 17 U.S. Code § 506(a); Title 18 U.S. Code § 2319).

All campuses of the University of Illinois strive to comply with copyright laws and institutional policies. Individuals who receive a copyright infringement notice may face disciplinary actions, which may include:

• Loss of network access
• Mandatory copyright training
• Academic sanctions (e.g., transcript notations)
• Potential dismissal from the university

UIC has implemented a comprehensive plan to comply with Higher Education Opportunity Act requirements, including technology-based deterrents, bandwidth monitoring and annual educational outreach. For more details, visit the Policy on HEOA Compliance page, accessible through the Technology Solutions polices page at go.uic.edu/policies.

For more information about copyright and fair use at UIC, visit copyright.uic.edu.

For questions regarding this notice or HEOA compliance, email [email protected].

Shefali Mookencherry
Chief Information Security Officer
Chief Privacy Officer

For more information, please contact:Shefali [email protected]