Higher ed institutions copyright policy requirement introduced in draft legislation amending Title 20

Copyright policy requirement introduced in draft legislation amending Title 20
Bill summary via THOMAS, passed in Senate 7/24/07, received in House 7/26/07

The extension of the Higher Education Act of 1965 includes proposed changes to section 1092, Institutional and financial assistance information for students (this is a link to the text as it reads now). Adds a new requirement that institutions include copyright policies in the information disseminated annually to students. The text of the proposed addition:
`(P) institutional policies and sanctions related to copyright infringement, including--

`(i) an annual disclosure that explicitly informs students that unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing, may subject the students to civil and criminal liabilities;

`(ii) a summary of the penalties for violation of Federal copyright laws;

`(iii) a description of the institution's policies with respect to unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing, including disciplinary actions that are taken against students who engage in unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials using the institution's information technology system; and

`(iv) a description of actions that the institution takes to prevent and detect unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material on the institution's information technology system;'

[updated 8/11/07 5:43pmCT to correct House/Senate action dates]