Copyright Infringement

To report copyright infringements involving Princeton University information technology resources or services, please notify:

Rita Seplowitz Saltz
Princeton University
228 Alexander Street
Princeton, NJ 08540

E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 609-258-6066

Ms. Saltz, Princeton University Office of Information Technology, is acting in conjunction with the Princeton University Office of the General Counsel as the agent designated under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, P.L. 105-304, to respond to reports alleging copyright infringements on Princeton University website locations.

Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or "statutory" damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For "willful" infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorney's fees. For details see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505. 

Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense. 

In addition, members of the University community who engage in any activity that infringes copyright-protected materials may be subject to disciplinary action. Under circumstances involving repeated instances of infringement through the use of the University's computing network, such disciplinary action may include the termination or suspension of network privileges.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act specifies that all infringement claims must be in writing (either electronic mail or paper letter) and must include the following elements:

1. a physical or electronic signature;
2. identification of the infringed work;
3. identification of the infringed material;
4. contact information for the complainant, e.g., address, telephone number, electronic mail address;
5. a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner or the law; and
6. a statement that the information contained in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

For more information on United States Copyright Laws, see the U.S. Copyright Office.

For further information on instructional use of copyrighted materials at Princeton, see the University's copyright policies and resources.