2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: News
With RIAA, schools weigh options
Many schools comply somewhat with industry's legal requests, but some back students
Alyssa Kosturakis
College sophomore Brandon Moyse never thought Buckcherry would get him into trouble.
But when Moyse - who is also a DP sportswriter - opened his inbox last Friday, the rock band was the cause for a distressing e-mail: A message from the Recording Industry Association of America demanding that he remove one of the band's hit songs from his computer.
Over the last year, the RIAA has launched a major campaign against college students, mostly with angry e-mails and lawsuit threats.
But without being privy to the identity of student downloaders - offenses can only be tracked to IP addresses - the RIAA has found an unlikely partner in its crusade against illegal file-sharing: the universities themselves.
Since February, the RIAA has sent over 3,000 pre-litigation letters to colleges, including Penn, asking officials to match names to IP addresses and forward the settlement offers, usually totaling about $3,000, to alleged offenders.
Unless presented with a subpoena, universities have no legal obligation to participate in the campaign.
Thus far, Penn seems to be complying with the music organization: 48 Penn students have received pre-litigation letters from the RIAA, and school officials - who did not return requests for comment for this article - have agreed to forward all letters to the appropriate students, though they do wait for a subpoena before releasing the student's identity to the RIAA.
The University also gives students a warning before referring them to the Office of Student Conduct for possible disciplinary action.
Other universities have taken a firmer stance in combatting the RIAA.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has refused to forward pre-litigation letters and also offers free legal advice to targeted students.
Brian Rust, communications manager of the IT division of the university, says passing on pre-settlement letters "makes it seem like we are complicit with the RIAA in pursuing settlement. It puts the institution in a very uncomfortable spot in terms of what kind of advice to give to the students."
But when Moyse - who is also a DP sportswriter - opened his inbox last Friday, the rock band was the cause for a distressing e-mail: A message from the Recording Industry Association of America demanding that he remove one of the band's hit songs from his computer.
Over the last year, the RIAA has launched a major campaign against college students, mostly with angry e-mails and lawsuit threats.
But without being privy to the identity of student downloaders - offenses can only be tracked to IP addresses - the RIAA has found an unlikely partner in its crusade against illegal file-sharing: the universities themselves.
Since February, the RIAA has sent over 3,000 pre-litigation letters to colleges, including Penn, asking officials to match names to IP addresses and forward the settlement offers, usually totaling about $3,000, to alleged offenders.
Unless presented with a subpoena, universities have no legal obligation to participate in the campaign.
Thus far, Penn seems to be complying with the music organization: 48 Penn students have received pre-litigation letters from the RIAA, and school officials - who did not return requests for comment for this article - have agreed to forward all letters to the appropriate students, though they do wait for a subpoena before releasing the student's identity to the RIAA.
The University also gives students a warning before referring them to the Office of Student Conduct for possible disciplinary action.
Other universities have taken a firmer stance in combatting the RIAA.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has refused to forward pre-litigation letters and also offers free legal advice to targeted students.
Brian Rust, communications manager of the IT division of the university, says passing on pre-settlement letters "makes it seem like we are complicit with the RIAA in pursuing settlement. It puts the institution in a very uncomfortable spot in terms of what kind of advice to give to the students."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
ColumbiaChronicle
Patrick Algrim
posted 10/15/07 @ 3:52 PM EST
Thats a tough topic, RIAA and colleges will never get along.
http://www.columbiachronicle.com - The Columbia Chronicle
Paul Kent
posted 10/16/07 @ 5:23 PM EST
There is a culture of larceny which is to the point of offenders (sometimes the most priveledged) simply acting out what they observe to be normal behavior, and with no responsibility for the results of their actions. (Continued…)
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