Using your Internet service to infringe copyrights is illegal and a violation of altafiber's High Speed Internet Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy, which apply to all users of your account, and could result in the suspension or termination your Internet service.
Acceptable Use Policy
If your computer is being used in the exchange of unauthorized copies of copyrighted material (music, movies, television shows, or software), altafiber requests that you take action to stop the copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is a violation of altafiber's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). You can review the Internet AUP under paragraph 3 of the residential Fioptics/Zoomtown Terms & Conditions.
Definition of Notice of Claimed Copyright Infringement
altafiber receives notices from copyright holders, or their designated agents, claiming a altafiber Internet subscriber has used or acquired copyrighted work(s) without authorization from the copyright holder. This is called a "Notice of Claimed Copyright Infringement."
File a Notice of Claimed Copyright Infringement
altafiber recognizes the importance of protecting copyright holders and prohibits the use of its systems or network for infringing activities. you can provide notice of claimed copyright infringement if you believe that altafiber, one of our affiliated entities or one of our customers is infringing your copyright. For information on how to provide notice of claimed copyright infringement, click here.
Filing a Copyright Counter-Notification
If you believe that your service was not used to commit the alleged infringement, you believe that you have legal ownership of the material in question, or you have another legal right to file a counter-notice, you can file a copyright counter-notification with altafiber.
When you file a copyright counter-notification, altafiber will forward your notification to the copyright holder or its designated agent. This means that your notice, including your name, address and contact information will be shared with the copyright holder or its designated agent.
Understand that filing a counter-notification is not simply a proclamation of your innocence. Your decision to send one to a Copyright Owner could result in litigation against you which could prove expensive and burdensome. Before you exercise your right to file a counter-notification it is strongly recommended that you consult an attorney. For information on how to file a copyright counter-notification, click here.
Further Information
The resources below will provide you with more information on copyright infringement.
Summary of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
RespectCopyrights.org
ChillingEffects.org
OnGuard Online's P2P Security
MusicUnited.org
Obtaining Files Legally
You can obtain affordable music, movies, and television shows from a variety of sources. Some include:
Music
Apple© iTunes©
Amazon MP3
Rhapsody© Store
Pandora© Internet Radio
Slacker Personal Radio
Spotify
Movies and Television Shows
For a list of online movie and TV sites available for Fioptics TV subscribers, visit Fioptics TV Everywhere. Additional online movie and TV sites include Hulu and Netflix.
Request to Pay
altafiber does not ask for any payments related to copyright infringement. It's possible you may receive an email or pop-up on your computer that accuses you of copyright infringement and is connected with a fake payment site used to collect credit card numbers. You can view an example of one of these fraudulent sites and get more information by clicking here.
Privacy Policy
altafiber respects your privacy and as a matter of principle and general policy we do not monitor how you use your internet service. While altafiber is required by law to inform you of this complaint, we have not provided any of your personal identifying information to the copyright owner.
altafiber's Privacy Policies put in place strict controls around the collection and use of customers' personal information. You can find our "High Speed Internet Privacy Policy" in the Terms and Conditions, and our general Privacy Policy.
The complaint by the owner or agent references an IP address, which (for the sole purpose of sending this notification) we have matched to your account based on the time of the alleged infringement. The copyright holders utilize various computer tools to track the sharing of movies, music, and other media over the Internet. altafiber uses the IP address, date, and time from the owner's notice of alleged infringement to determine which customer is being accused of committing the copyright violation. Once identified, altafiber will send a letter relaying the specific details of the complaint to the customer being accused.
However, altafiber respects your privacy and as a matter of principle and general policy we do not monitor how you use your internet service, so we don't know whether the complaint we received is accurate. In addition, we do not reveal our customers' identity to the complainant unless required by law to do so (if, for example, a copyright owner sends altafiber a subpoena in the course of a lawsuit against you for copyright infringement.)
One notable exception is if you file copyright counter-notification disputing the claim. For more information regarding the counter-notification process, click here or refer to the counter-notification information available at www.copyright.gov.
Results of Notice
It is possible the copyright holder could take legal action against you. The copyright owner has made serious allegations against you. Copyright infringement is a violation of the law. And, willful infringement with intent to profit is also a federal crime. A copyright infringer could be subject to a $150,000 penalty for each infringement. You should consult your own attorney for legal advice. Click here to review the government's summary of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Also, altafiber may have to suspend or disconnect your service as a result of repeat copyright infringements. You can review altafiber's Acceptable Use Policy under No.3 on this page.
Removing Infringing Content and Searching Files
It's important to remove or disable access to all movies, music, files and other content and materials specified in the notice, as well as any others that you may be posting, storing, transmitting or sharing (on a "peer-to-peer" basis or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright owner. For more information on searching for files or folders within Windows© XP, Windows© Vista, Windows© 7, and Windows© 8, click here.
Tips for keeping your home computer secure
Educate all computer users in your home regarding copyright infringement.
Explain that downloading copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder is against the law. Virtually all music, movies, television shows, software, etc. that can be purchased in a store or online is copyrighted material. Also, discourage the use of peer-to-peer software and provide alternatives for downloading copyrighted material.
Be sure to check all computers on your home network for the infringing material.
The Notice of Copyright Infringement will list the work(s) infringed upon. Perform a search on all computers within your home for the title. Alternatively, you can use this free tool that will scan your computer and generate a list of movies or television files and common peer-to-peer file sharing applications installed on the computer.
Ensure your computer is free of viruses.
It is possible that a computer virus has compromised your computer and is triggering the exchange of copyrighted material. If you believe your computer might be infected, perform an online virus scan. It's important that all computers in your home have an all-in-one security suite and that it's kept up-to-date with the latest definitions. If you are lacking complete protection for your computer, consider altafiber's All-In-One PC Protection.
If you use a wireless router, ensure that it's encrypted.
If someone accesses your home network without your knowledge or authorization, you may still be held responsible for their activities. That's why it's important that you encrypt your wireless network with a password. To find out how to do this, please contact us or visit our help center.
Time Specified On Notice
The time cited in the copyright notice may not be the date and time at which you downloaded the material. It may be the time the material - which was stored on your computer - was accessed by someone else. You may still be held responsible by the copyright holder even if you were not actively involved in sharing at the time. If the file is on your computer, and if your computer is turned on and connected to the internet, the material may be available for others to access without your permission.