Copyright Infringement and You
As Lennon Telephone Company and TVC, Inc. increases our internet service areas, providing high-speed cable internet to a higher number of customers in Shiawassee and Genesee Counties, we are unfortunately experiencing an increase in copyright infringement violations as well. These violations occur when a Lennon Telephone Company or TVC, Inc. customer illegally downloads copyrighted material. In most copyright infringement cases, a peer-to-peer download (utilizing a torrent program such as BitTorrent) is to blame.
Our “Three Strikes” Policy
Due to the increase in copyright infringements, Lennon Telephone Company and TVC, Inc. have been forced to implement a “three strikes and you’re out” policy. The steps we take are as follows:
1. John Doe, our customer, downloads a song, movie, TV show, or other copyright material through peer-to-peer transfer or from an illegal download site.
2. The company that owns the copyright to the illegally downloaded material identifies Mr. Doe’s internet connection’s IP address either by (a) using torrent software to connect to his torrent software or
(b) getting a list of IP addresses from the website he downloaded from by getting a court order for that website to release its IP log files.
3. The company that owns the copyright material informs our company of the violation and provides us with the necessary documentation.
4. Mr. Doe’s internet account is temporarily disabled.
5. Our local office in Lennon receives an e-mail from our company informing us of the violation. This notice includes the customer’s IP address, the name of the copyright material,
the site from which it was downloaded, and the date and time the infringement occurred.
6. Our local office in Lennon contacts Mr. Doe to inform him of the violation and to let him know his account has been disabled.
7. An explanation of copyright infringement and a warning is given to Mr. Doe.
8. Mr. Doe is instructed to immediately cease downloading and/or sharing copyrighted material and to delete from their computer and devices any material that has already been downloaded.
9. Our local office restores Mr. Doe’s internet service after confirmation from Mr. Doe that he understands the nature of the violation, as well as the consequences.
10. After three violations, Mr. Doe’s account will be permanently disabled and he will be unable to receive internet service from our company.
How can you avoid a violation?
There are three bases to cover in order to avoid copyright infringement:
1. Password protect your Wi-Fi. Most wireless router manufacturers provide a customer support line to aid you in establishing or resetting your Wi-Fi password. TVC customers can
also contact our 24/7 internet support at (866) 426-6967, where our technicians are happy to assist in setting up wireless passwords for your router.
2. Do not use torrents. While peer-to-peer transfer programs can be nice for exchanging original material, most transfers on torrent programs involve the transfer of copyrighted
material. A good rule of thumb is: If you would have to pay for it in a store, you should expect to pay for it online.
3. Communicate with all members of your household. Ensure that anyone who is using your internet connection knows about copyright infringement violations, and
Lennon Telephone Company and TVC, Inc.’s “three strikes” policy.
OCILLA Compliance
Lennon Telephone Company and TVC, Inc. comply with the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act of 1998, (“Act”). As required by the Act, we have adopted a policy to terminate services to account holders or subscribers who repeatedly infringe copyrights. In the event that we receive a determination that any subscriber or account holder has infringed another’s copyright through the use of our system or network, we reserve the right to terminate service to that subscriber or account holder after receiving notice of any further copyright infringement by that subscriber or account holder.
Lennon Telephone Company and TVC, Inc. accommodates and does not interfere with standard technical measures to identify and protect copyrighted works, subject to the limitations of the Act.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding internet copyright infringement, please do not hesitate to contact our local office at (810) 621-3301.