University Piracy Measures
November 19th, 2008The issue of online piracy, particularly in relation to music downloads, has been a persistent one for Universities. Student participation can be problematic as illustrated by the bizarre case brought against American student Jesse Jordan in 2002.
Jordan, an information technology student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, built a search engine for the RPI network which made it easier for students to access material. However, some of the students using Jesse’s search engine had been downloading music files, over 100 copyright infringements were cited and in 2003 the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) demanded damages of $15 million.
The latest extraordinary episode in the RIAA/piracy saga has just emerged, in an article in Wired online published yesterday by David Kravets. Apparently the Tennesse public University system has just signed a $9.5 million legislation to implement University piracy measures.
While this bill may placate the RIAA it comes at a cost to the students and staff of the Universities
The big question is should Universities be held responsible for this type of activity, and if so how might they protect themselves?
