Copyright Notification Program

GVTC provides a process for owners of copyrighted content (e.g. music, movies, videos, books, artwork, and images) to notify GVTC if they believe that a customer is using GVTC's Internet Service to share copyrighted content without their permission.

Under this program, copyright owners may send GVTC a notice of alleged copyright infringement identifying the IP Address of the user that allegedly engaged in copyright infringement, the title of the copyrighted work at issue, and the date and time of the alleged infringement. GVTC then passes along the notice, at the request of the copyright owner, to the appropriate Internet Service account holder to alert them about the potentially infringing activity so that they may take steps to prevent copyright infringement on their account.

The DMCA was passed in 1998 by the U.S. Congress to protect copyrighted works in the digital age, while providing important protections for online service providers to ensure the free flow of information. Additional information about the DMCA is available at the U. S. Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf.

If GVTC receives additional notices for a particular subscriber account, the Copyright Alerts will escalate, and they may be subject to service interruption. If GVTC continues to receive additional copyright infringement notices after this step, your GVTC Internet service may be terminated pursuant with GVTC's DMCA Copyright Infringement Policy. A subscriber's receipt of multiple Copyright Alerts will be a factor used by GVTC in determining whether to terminate their service under the GVTC's DMCA Copyright Infringement Policy.

GVTC does not monitor what our customers are downloading, and we will not provide identifying information about a subscriber to copyright owners unless required to do so by lawful request.

Sharing copyrighted material using peer-to-peer technologies without the permission of the copyright owner or its authorized representative is unlawful in most cases. This is called "copyright infringement," and it violates not only U.S. copyright law, but also GVTC's Acceptable Use Policy and Internet Terms of Service.

Copyright infringement can subject infringers to potential civil and criminal liability. Additional information about copyright infringement is available at the U. S. Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html.

When files are distributed on the Internet over peer-to-peer networks, the IP address associated with a subscriber's account is visible by design to other users on the network. Content owners and their agents have developed state-of-the-art software that participates in these peer-to-peer networks to identify pirated film, TV and music content that they own, and the IP addresses associated with the distribution of that content. Content owners provide these IP addresses to GVTC, along with additional information about the content that was allegedly shared by that IP address. GVTC matches the IP address sent by the content owner to the specific customer to whom that IP address was assigned at that time, and then forwards the information provided by the content owner to that user. As noted above, GVTC does not provide identifying information about the user to the content owner(s) unless ordered to do so by a court of law.

Virtually all music, movies, television shows, and software are widely available online from legitimate sources more than ever before. Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music and Sound Cloud are just a few examples of growing businesses delivering music to consumers digitally without breaking the law. Web-based services from Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV are booming. GVTC customers have a wide variety of ways to enjoy content without the need to utilize illegal file-sharing services.

If you receive a copyright alert, we recommend that you determine whether the content referred to in the alert is on any computer or other device with access to your Internet service and check to see if your computer or other device has any peer-to-peer or file-sharing software on it.

You should also contact any other individuals who have access to your Internet service and discuss the alert with them. Be sure to educate those that use your Internet service regarding copyright infringement. Explain that downloading copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder is against the law.

The DMCA provides a way for customers to dispute a copyright violation notice by sending a counter-notice to [email protected].

According to the DMCA, a counter-notice must contain the following elements:

1. A physical or electronic signature of the Customer.
2. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled.
3. A statement under penalty of perjury that the Customer has a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled.
4. The Customer's name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that the Customer consents to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which the copyright holder's or representative's address is located and that the Customer will accept service of process from the person who provided the notification under DMCA subsection 512(c)(1)(C) or an agent of such person.

GVTC is not in a position to investigate these allegations. We are simply passing along a copyright owner's allegation that your Internet account was used for copyright infringement and any counter-notice you may send. It's possible the copyright holder could take legal action against you. You may want to consider consulting your own attorney for legal advice.