|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
Students warned about illegal music, movie downloads
3:02 p.m., Oct. 4, 2006--Citing online theft of copyrighted works on campus computer networks as “an enormous problem” for the music community, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) late last month sent letters to 700 colleges across the country stating that students who ignore warnings and continue to engage in illegal downloading of music will be sued. Speaking at a Congressional hearing on Sept. 26, RIAA President Cary H. Sherman said that while more than 140 colleges have subscribed to legal downloading services, many colleges have not done enough to discourage students from illegally downloading music and movie files. “We believe in academic freedom,” Sherman said, “but academic freedom is not the freedom to steal. Allowing illegal file sharing is antithetical to any educational institution's objective to instill in its students moral and legal clarity. Looking the other way when students engage in illegal activity on its system sends a message--and it's the wrong one.” In 2004, the University of Delaware informed the campus community that it intends to comply with any subpoena requests it might receive from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). MPAA followed the lead of RIAA, which in 2003 actively went after copyright violators found to be illegally downloading and sharing digital music files. Those found guilty of copyright violations face penalties ranging from $750 to $150,000 per downloaded file. As part of the University's “No Excuses” campaign against pirating, or illegal downloading, of copyrighted materials, Residence Life last year invited Richard Taylor, senior vice president of MPAA, to talk to UD's resident assistants. The “No Excuses” campaign, which was launched last fall with posters and T-shirts, is part of UD's Code of the Web educational efforts.
Information Technologies provides extensive information on protecting computers and avoiding illegal practices on its “Computer Security” site at [www.udel.edu/security]. Pages for Windows and Macintosh computers offer step-by-step guidance for making sure computers are secure. UD offers students legal ways to obtain music and movies through the RUCKUS and iTunes web sites. Details can be found on the “Legal Options for Downloading Music and Movies at the University of Delaware” web page [www.udel.edu/legaltunes]. Students are responsible for the security of their computers, and they will be held accountable for what their systems do on the network whether they have knowledge of it or not. IT recommends that all users educate themselves about the basic steps to secure their computers. “The University takes copyright infringement very seriously and we are constantly working to find creative and interesting ways to inform and educate the University community,” Susan Foster, vice president for information technologies, said. “The goals of our efforts, from the Electronic Community Citizenship Examination to the 'Code of the Web' and the 'No Excuses' campaign, are to promote responsible computing and the University community has been very receptive.”
UD's responsible computing efforts in 1995 drew the attention of interested individuals at institutions such as Harvard, Duke, Dartmouth, Princeton and Quebec's Laval University following the launch of the Electronic Community Citizenship Examination (ECCE). Representatives of those colleges and universities often requested copies of the University's test, a 10-question, multiple-choice test covering a range of issues involving password security, copyright restrictions, malicious misuse and judicial penalties, computer right vs. privilege, software restrictions and proper access. New students were required to pass before they were given access the University's computing system. Last year, UD adopted an MPAA campaign to deal with digital movie piracy. The effort included “You Can Click But You Can't Hide” posters in residence halls and student centers, as well as direct e-mail to every registered student highlighting the problem and consequences of illegally downloading movies and other copyrighted material. The UD campaign includes showing a video on the IT channel and during weekend movie showings on campus, a copyright web site at [www.udel.edu/security/copyright_abuse.htm] and useful links on the Office of Information Technologies computer security web site [www.udel.edu/security].Additional web resources Selected legal music sites [www.udel.edu/legaltunes] Code of the Web [www.udel.edu/codeoftheweb] Violating Copyright is Illegal--Period [www.udel.edu/security/copyright_abuse.htm] Copyright Resource Links [www.udel.edu/codeoftheweb/resources/copyright.html]
Article by Martin Mbugua |
|
|
