To protect the intellectual property of licensed e-resources, safeguard the reputation of Southern Medical University, and ensure the lawful rights of our users, the Library requires all units and individuals to comply with relevant IP regulations for electronic resources. We have previously experienced excessive/abusive downloading on certain databases. When vendors detect such misuse, they may block the offending IP address—or even the University’s IP range. This (1) disrupts access for the whole campus (our limited pool of public IPs is shared University-wide) and (2) damages the reputation of the University and the CALIS consortium; in severe cases, legal action may follow.

Accordingly, please observe the following:

1. Do not use any download accelerators, crawlers, or similar tools to batch-download licensed e-resources.

2. Do not download articles in a continuous, systematic, or bulk manner (e.g., more than a hundred items within a short period). Definitions of “misuse” vary by vendor; as a general rule, activity that exceeds normal reading speed is considered abuse. Reading a single article normally takes at least several minutes.

3. Do not provide acquired documents to persons outside the University. Do not share your campus network account with non-SMU users to access our e-resources. Using downloaded content for commercial gain is strictly prohibited.

4. No individual may configure a proxy server to read or download licensed e-resources. Units with a special need for a proxy must obtain prior approval from the Library and must ensure that no off-campus IPs can access Library-licensed resources through that proxy.

Enforcement:

Upon detection of a violation, the Library will assist relevant University offices in investigation and will take the following actions:

(1) Notify the violator’s department; the individual must report to the Library within three (3) working days for investigation and submit a written statement of self-criticism. A campus-wide notice of criticism will be issued.

(2) Suspend borrowing privileges for six months.

Serious cases will be referred for University disciplinary action. The violator bears all legal liability arising therefrom.

We ask all readers to help supervise compliance. If you observe a violation, please report it to the Library.

Phone: 61648054
Email: library@fimmu.com

Southern Medical University Library

April 18, 2007