Spring Break
15 students targeted for music downloads
by Anya Bergman
News | 5/22/07
Posted online at 4:53 AM EST on 5/22/07
/ Last updated at 8:22 PM EST on 5/22/07
The recording industry unleashed a new round of legal threats this month against college students who illegally downloaded copyrighted material on file-sharing networks. The Recording Industry Association of America sent prelitigation letters to 13 universities targeting 400 anonymous students for illegal activity, 15 of whom attend Brandeis.
This isn't the first time the RIAA has taken aim at Brandeis students. Among the 91 college students the RIAA sued in May 2005, eight were from Brandeis.
The letters sent to Brandeis earlier this month came in the fourth wave of about 400 letters the RIAA sends to universities across the nation each month in hopes of deterring illegal downloading, a practice prevalent on college campuses.
The RIAA identified the anonymous students by their Internet protocol addresses on the Brandeis network. RIAA investigators go on peer-to-peer networks, search for copyrighted material, identify the IP addresses of illegal users and trace them to university networks, a spokesperson for the RIAA said May 10.
The prelitigation letter, a new initiative since last month, "gives students the opportunity to resolve copyright infringement claims against them before a formal suit is ever filed," RIAA President Cary Sherman said recently.
In an online news conference for university students, Sherman said individuals can be sued for between $750 and $150,000 per work infringed.
Students have been given 20 days to settle the case outside of court at a "discounted rate," the RIAA spokesperson said. If students proceed outside of court, the charge won't appear on the student's record, she said.
Out-of-court settlements reached in early May 2005 ranged from $12,000 to $17,000, though many previous cases were settled for about $3,000.
One Brandeis student who received a letter urging her to settle outside of court on May 5 from Brandeis' General Council, the University's representative legal body, said it included a forwarded message from the RIAA's attorneys.
This isn't the first time the RIAA has taken aim at Brandeis students. Among the 91 college students the RIAA sued in May 2005, eight were from Brandeis.
The letters sent to Brandeis earlier this month came in the fourth wave of about 400 letters the RIAA sends to universities across the nation each month in hopes of deterring illegal downloading, a practice prevalent on college campuses.
The RIAA identified the anonymous students by their Internet protocol addresses on the Brandeis network. RIAA investigators go on peer-to-peer networks, search for copyrighted material, identify the IP addresses of illegal users and trace them to university networks, a spokesperson for the RIAA said May 10.
The prelitigation letter, a new initiative since last month, "gives students the opportunity to resolve copyright infringement claims against them before a formal suit is ever filed," RIAA President Cary Sherman said recently.
In an online news conference for university students, Sherman said individuals can be sued for between $750 and $150,000 per work infringed.
Students have been given 20 days to settle the case outside of court at a "discounted rate," the RIAA spokesperson said. If students proceed outside of court, the charge won't appear on the student's record, she said.
Out-of-court settlements reached in early May 2005 ranged from $12,000 to $17,000, though many previous cases were settled for about $3,000.
One Brandeis student who received a letter urging her to settle outside of court on May 5 from Brandeis' General Council, the University's representative legal body, said it included a forwarded message from the RIAA's attorneys.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 7
Mike
posted 5/22/07 @ 4:33 PM EST
Come on! I'm not really familiar with how the law works in this area but it seems like extortion to me. "Individuals can be sued for between $750 and $150,000 per work infringed. (Continued…)
Michael Schakow '01, MA '01
posted 5/22/07 @ 11:35 PM EST
I really hope that the Brandeis Administration is not rolling over and making it easy for RIAA to subpoena the identities of students. While it is true that unlawful downloading should not be engaged in, there are larger issues at play here. (Continued…)
Rebecca
posted 5/23/07 @ 7:47 AM EST
Louis Brandeis championed privacy, but not piracy. Invoking Brandeis' name here is misleading. He would not have supported privacy in downloading music illegally. (Continued…)
Carol
posted 5/23/07 @ 11:45 AM EST
It's wrong to steal a CD from Virgin MegaStore just as it's wrong to download things illegally. Students who are wealthy enough to buy it legally from itunes for . (Continued…)
Mike
posted 5/24/07 @ 4:57 PM EST
There are multiple issues at play here.
1. Is music piracy the same thing as stealing a CD?
I don't really think so. A music CD is a material item. (Continued…)
Jordan Suchow
posted 6/20/07 @ 3:48 PM EST
A few things:
Steven Marks incorrectly uses the word "theft". Theft is a criminal offense reserved for those who take another's property without consent. (Continued…)
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