RIAA Cracks Down on Piracy at Smith
Meredith Byers
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: News
According to an ITS release, two Smith students were charged with lawsuits last spring. One student has settled out of court with the RIAA for $3,000. The RIAA has contacted Smith several times about students they believe are illegally downloading music.
To ensure that they do not face these lawsuits or fines, students are encouraged to remove all peer-to-peer downloading programs and music from their computers.
The RIAA previously just sent warnings to individuals with illegal software on their computers. Now, they are threatening lawsuits and offering students the chance to settle out of court. The average settlement is roughly $3,000 and, according to copyright law, the minimum damages are $750. Worse, a student who fights back and loses will face a permanent felony charge and steep damages of up to $750 per illegally downloaded song.
Nickles said that "the money that the RIAA receives in settlement fees only covers their expenses for detecting the illegal file sharing and their legal fees. It's rumored that none of that money goes to the recording artists."
The ITS announcement added that the RIAA has certain IP addresses associated with the computers they believe house the illegal music. The RIAA will send the college "settlement letters," which will then be forwarded to the individuals associated with the addresses. Students who receive these letters are urged to seek legal counsel immediately.
Peer-to-peer downloading programs have been all the rage since Napster began. The company still exists but added a fee-based downloading program in 2001. According to Nickles, Limewire is one of the most commonly used programs for illegal downloading on campus.
Dean of Students Julianne Ohotnicky stressed the importance of responding to these issues. "The Recording Industry Association of America are taking illegal downloading very seriously. Colleges and universities across the country are receiving notification from RIAA about IP addresses that have allegedly illegally downloaded or distributed copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder. We are informing those involved, as we receive information, and advising them to seek legal counsel and advice about settling the matter with RIAA."
To ensure that they do not face these lawsuits or fines, students are encouraged to remove all peer-to-peer downloading programs and music from their computers.
The RIAA previously just sent warnings to individuals with illegal software on their computers. Now, they are threatening lawsuits and offering students the chance to settle out of court. The average settlement is roughly $3,000 and, according to copyright law, the minimum damages are $750. Worse, a student who fights back and loses will face a permanent felony charge and steep damages of up to $750 per illegally downloaded song.
Nickles said that "the money that the RIAA receives in settlement fees only covers their expenses for detecting the illegal file sharing and their legal fees. It's rumored that none of that money goes to the recording artists."
The ITS announcement added that the RIAA has certain IP addresses associated with the computers they believe house the illegal music. The RIAA will send the college "settlement letters," which will then be forwarded to the individuals associated with the addresses. Students who receive these letters are urged to seek legal counsel immediately.
Peer-to-peer downloading programs have been all the rage since Napster began. The company still exists but added a fee-based downloading program in 2001. According to Nickles, Limewire is one of the most commonly used programs for illegal downloading on campus.
Dean of Students Julianne Ohotnicky stressed the importance of responding to these issues. "The Recording Industry Association of America are taking illegal downloading very seriously. Colleges and universities across the country are receiving notification from RIAA about IP addresses that have allegedly illegally downloaded or distributed copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder. We are informing those involved, as we receive information, and advising them to seek legal counsel and advice about settling the matter with RIAA."