Copyright Policy

It is the policy of Bristol Community College to acknowledge and abide by all applicable intellectual property laws, including but not limited to federal copyright law, Title 17 of the U.S. Code as amended at https://www.copyright.gov/title17. The College expects that all individuals employed at the College, enrolled at the College, and/or using the facilities or resources of the College shall do the same. 

A complete copy of the College’s Copyright Policy is available for download. This policy has been adopted by all Massachusetts community colleges system-wide. It is your responsibility to become familiar with and understand this policy. Excerpts of the contents have been published to this site for convenience of reference. 

Penalties for Copyright Infringement

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 attorneys' fees. 

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. 

For more information, please visit the Web site of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov. FAQs are available at www.copyright.gov/help/faq.