RIAA's Into "New Wave"...The Twelfth Wave of Threatening College Kids

January 14, 2008

Of threats and lawsuits,that is.

It has just come out that working in league with their major recording company masters, the Recording Industry Association of America has sent out what they term their twelfth round of settlement letters to university students accused of "significant abuse of campus computer networks for the purpose of copyright infringement."

Here's a list of which universities received these "pre-litigation settlement letters," and the total number of students contacted at each institution:

Arizona State University (33)
Bowdoin College (11),
California State University, Monterey Bay (25),
College of William and Mary (15),
Duke University (16),
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (19),
Mount Holyoke College (15),
Rhode Island College (22),
Saint Mary's College of Minnesota (13),
Stanford University (15),
Texas Christian University (14),
University of California, Berkeley (26),
University of California, Los Angeles (26),
University of Connecticut (25),
University of Iowa (24), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (22),
University of Texas at Austin (50),
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (36).

And why is the RIAA doing this? Partly for educational reasons. Or so they say:

The litigation is one piece of a broader effort by the industry to encourage fans to legally enjoy music. Through collaborations with prominent education groups such as Close Up Foundation, Young Minds Inspired and i-SAFE, the RIAA helps educate students of all ages on the risks of illegal file-sharing networks and the importance of responsible online behavior. Individual record companies have struck partnerships with an array of digital music services to offer fans an exciting, compelling legal experience, including innovative models like Ruckus which offers free, legal music to university students.
And, to help provide schools with information about effective policies and practices that reduce instances of theft, the RIAA and the MPAA have jointly developed “best practices” information. Specifically, universities that have seen the most positive results have instituted specific reforms that educate students on campus network use and enforcement policies, offer affordable legal alternatives that give students access to their favorite music, and, most importantly, implement appropriate technological tools that protect the integrity of their networks.

I guess the RIAA regards these letters as an exercise in citizenship education.