Infringement of Copyright Laws

Over the past few months, the Data Security Team has been made aware that Trust resources are being used to host illegal copies of books, movies, computer games and TV shows (Pay to View, PTV).

This is against the Copyright Laws and now that it has been identified we must act on it as an organisation.

Those people who have downloaded and stored information in this way will be contacted directly by the Data Security Team. In the meantime, we must all be aware that this is a wholly inappropriate use of Trust resources, and breaching Copyright Laws in this way could have legal implications for both the Trust and the individuals involved, ranging from fines to prosecution.

Please remember, any files that are made available to download outside the official channels could generate revenue which benefits further illegal activity.  In addition, these types of file can harbour malware and digital pixel tracking which therefore pose a risk to our digital estate and service delivery.

We all have a responsibility to use the Trust resources in the way they are intended. Many thanks for your cooperation with this.

Dean Ayres
Head of Information Governance and Security

Published 20th March 2023