The downlow on downloads

     A song can be purchased on iTunes for 99 cents.  The songs one GCSU students’ computer would cost $750 each, after the Recording Industry Association of America caught the GCSU sophomore with more than 1,000 illegally downloaded songs.
     “My parents always told me that I was going to get caught,” he said.  “I always thought it wouldn’t happen to me, until the letter from the RIAA came.”
     This GCSU student is not alone; thousands of college students are being targeted by the RIAA in an effort to crack down on illegal music downloading and file-sharing.
     In a recent article on the Web site eSchool News Online, RIAA President Carey Sherman said, “It’s something we feel we have to do.  We have to let people know that if they engage in this activity, they are not anonymous.”
     The nursing major was caught because he used Kazaa, a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, to download music illegally in Summer 2005.
     “The RIAA got my IP address from Bell South and that’s when they saw that I had downloaded 1,000 songs,” the sophomore said.  “And since I had downloaded so many songs the RIAA decided to go after me.”
     The RIAA said popular file-sharing software programs it has targeted at schools include AresWarez, BitTorrent, eDonkey, and other programs that operate on the Gnutella and FastTrack services.
     “I just don’t understand why there is software available to people that is illegal,” he said.  “Why don’t they go after the software instead of just individuals?”
     The RIAA tends to go after middle-class families, said the sophomore nursing major.
     “They go after families who can’t afford to fight and win.  You can either go to court and fight it or just settle with them,” he said.  “Every time we tired to fight them, they would threaten us with the fine of paying $750 per song.  There was just no way my family could afford that.”
     GCSU has received numerous complaints from the RIAA over the past few years.  Since then, the university has started to crack down on students illegally downloading music.
        "Since the days of Napster, GCSU has faced a continued problem with
file sharing and illegal downloading,” said Chad McDonald, chief information security officer for GCSU.
     In the eSchool News Online article, the RIAA said each university should set its own penalties for stealing songs and said campuses are rife with such thefts. 
    “When we look at the problem, it’s particularly acute in the college context,” said Mitch Bainwol, RIAA chief executive.
McDonald’s job as chief information security officer is to ensure that the university is in compliance with laws and regulations governing the protection of information.  This includes punishing those students who choose to download illegally.
     “At the university level, the student’s network access is terminated until he or she contacts DTS regarding the issue.  Repeat offenders have their access terminated until they schedule time with Executive Director of Technology Solutions Dr. Donald Steward, a Chief Information Officer or me,” McDonald said. “The student then comes to our office to discuss the situation and legal implications.  The student is given a final warning and repeat offenses risk permanent loss of network privileges.  If the RIAA or the Motion Picture Association of America brings legal action against a student, he or she is responsible for providing their own legal representation or negotiating a settlement.”
     Under federal law, universities must act to stop repeat offenders who are illegally distributing copyrighted songs.  The RIAA can identify a student by his or her Internet address and then go to the university to trace a person’s real identity.  
     “The networking through dorms at GCSU is insane,” said the sophomore GCSU student who got caught.  “It might not be easy for students to download the music but they find a way to beat the system.  There are millions and millions of songs that are being shared, you can’t hide.”
     There is, however, a way to avoid getting caught. Downloading music legally with such programs as iTunes, AOL Music, and Napster is affordable and will keep you out of trouble with the university and the RIAA.
     “It’s real.  The RIAA is serious,” he said.  “It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you are downloading, because in the end you will get caught.  You can’t fight it because you will not win.  So just don’t do it.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 6 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry