User agreement of the student Internet account at Göttingen University

§ 1 Preliminary Remark

In corporation with the GWDG („Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen“) the University of Göttingen provides data processing equipment (student Internet account) to their students which enables them, inter alia, to gain access to the Internet.

§ 2 Permission of use

All students which are matriculated at Göttingen University have the right to use the student Internet account. The use of this account is subject to a fee. This fee, which has to be paid for each semester, is set by the university before the begin of a semester and needs to be paid in full to Göttingen University or a charged institution before the begin of a semester. After that the permission of use is valid for the whole semester, but until exmatriculation at the longest. If a permission of use has been issued during a semester, the fee will be paid in full and the permission of use is valid up to the end of the semester. Payments, which are made to university or a charged institution, underly the following rules:

Payments, which are received between September 1st and September 30th, are valid for summer semester and the following winter semester at the same time.

Payments, which are received between March 1st and March 31st, are valid for winter semester and the following summer semester at the same time.

The facility means the institution which is charged by university only. Deposits on accounts of other university facilities shall be deemed not to have been taken. There shall be no right to a refund of payment neither of the entire amount nor in parts. The permission of use is issued due to a written application to Göttingen University or the charged institution. The applicant receives a user ID and a password. It is not allowed to pass on the access data to a third party.

§ 3 Special permission of use

For the purpose of performing its functions, Göttingen University is allowed to issue student Internet accounts due to a written application to university policy groups and student initiatives. This account is at no charge. For this, every applicant group has to name a person in charge (contact person) who takes responsibility for compliance with the permission of use. At the beginning of each semester student initiatives have to provide evidence for the continuation of their student Internet account to university. Every change which is important for the existence of the account needs to be presented by means of a written statement as well. University policy groups have to make their application to the Media Relations and Marketing department of Göttingen University.

§ 4 Termination of agreement

The permission of use terminates under the following conditions:

at the time of exmatriculation

if the semester fee has not been paid

for university policy groups in the second year of non-candidature for student/ academic self-administration elections at the latest

for student initiatives with no verification

violation of the user agreement

by application of the user

The termination of permission of use may lead to a blocking of the homepage, of the access to the student Internet account and its networks as well as to a blocking of the E-Mail account.

§ 5 Use of the student Internet account and of the computer networks

With its computer systems and networks including all services the student Internet account exclusively serves for supporting students in their apprenticeship and in-service training and their communication among themselves. It is not allowed to use the account in a different way, especially with a commercial or political background. A political purpose is solely allowed to groups named in § 3. A data-intensive use, especially when causing high network or computer load, is not allowed. When using computer systems and networks (including all hardware provided) additionally legal regulations like criminal or copyright law need to be observed. The users are obliged to take into consideration cultural and religious matters of other persons and especially not to propagate violating, defamatory, insulting, threatening, obscene or racist statements or messages which are illegal in any other way.

§ 6 WWW homepages

It is possible to create personal homepages on one of the student serves on the World Wide Web (WWW). If personal homepages are being created, exclusively the user of the account, where the homepages are being saved, is responsible for its content. Therefore every homepage needs to be labelled so that the user can clearly be identified (imprint/ contact). How to contact the user, for example via electronic mail (E-Mail), must be clearly recognizable at least once on the homepage.

§ 7 Electronic Mail (E-Mail)

All users do have the chance to communicate via E-Mail. This can be done by either using the user ID or a so-called alias. It is not allowed to send bulk or spam mails. Additionally, it is on every user's behalf to take proper measures of protection so that mails with so-called computer viruses are not being spread from the personal computer. For this Göttingen University provides a free version of a virus scanner to every user.

§ 8 Special agreements for connecting own PCs

Göttingen University enables users of a student Internet account to establish a connection from their own notebook to the so-called GoeNet. There is no general claim to connecting the machine to GoeNet. It is not allowed to hand over the device to a third party, which do not have a student Internet account, in order to connect to the so-called GoeNet. The owner seizes all technical opportunities to prevent the spreading of viruses, worms or other malicious programs. Furthermore it is not allowed to run services on own computers, which might affect the security and functionality of the so-called GoeNet. This especially applies for mono political services (for example dhcp). It is not allowed to manipulate existing connections, for example by using a network connection of one of our terminals. GoeNet, as described above, includes all institutions of a network which is installed inter-university and serves for a connection of individual buildings, of computers to the so-called Internet as well as for the supply of single institutions within a building (so-called in-house cabling). It also includes the radio network GoeMobile, which is installed in Göttingen, as well as modem, ISDN or DSL connections. Hereof a separate user agreement for single services remains unaffected. This especially applies to the use of residential home networks

Eine separate Benutzungsordnung für einzelne Dienste bleibt hiervon unberührt. Dieses gilt insbesondere für die Nutzung von Wohnheimnetzen des Studentenwerks Göttingen, als auch für die Nutzung des Funknetzes GoeMobile.

§ 9 Damage liability

The user of the student Internet account frees both Göttingen University and the GWDG from all claims of third parties, which might be asserted against Göttingen University or the GWDG because of violation of rights of third parties, unlawful behavior or behavior violating the user agreement. Göttingen University and the GWDG do neither accept any liability for defects of access software to the student Internet account or their computer networks nor for defects of contents and programs which might be spread in the computer networks or resulting damages.

§ 10 Misuse

If a user of the student Internet account violates the user agreement, the permission of use will be terminated immediately.

§ 11 Special Agreements

By resolution of the senate meeting of June 11th 1997 the „Senatsrichtlinie zum Schutz vor sexueller Belästigung weiblicher Universitätsangehöriger“ (guideline of the senate to protect from sexual harassment of female university employees) is part of this user agreement. This can be handed over by request.

§ 12 Download limitation

Incoming data traffic is subject to a charge to the DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz e.V. - DFN association). For this reason the amount of data of this traffic is limited when using student terminals. At the beginning of each semester the university adopts a limit to its own judgement and reserves the right to determine this limit for each user. Excessive utilization of the student Internet account by outgoing traffic is not allowed.

§13 Validity

With this user agreement becoming applicable all previous user agreements lose its validity. This user agreement is valid until a new user agreement becomes applicable.

version 3, valid from 17th November 2003 tag>user agreement account rules regulation