Spring Break
UNH students sued over illegal downloads
This article was originally published on Friday, October 23, 2007.
Ben Amirault
Issue date: 5/6/08 Section: Year in Review
On October 18, 30 UNH students received notice that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) planned to file legal action against them because the students illegally shared copyrighted material over peer-to-peer networks.
The 30 UNH students are among 411 from 19 higher-education institutions nationwide that were targeted in the newest wave of the RIAA's campaign against online music theft. The campaign specifically targets college campuses, which are considered by the organization to be the worst offenders of copyright infringement.
The pre-litigation letter notifies the recipient before charges are filed in order to give the accused an opportunity to "settle these claims as early as possible." The recipient is given 20 calendar days to resolve the claim by paying a fee of $3,000 and thus avoiding federal court, where the minimum fine is $750 for each copyright recording infringement. The recipient can call a phone number or to go to p2plawsuit.com where they can pay the fee over the internet. They accept all major credit cards.
That may seem steep, but it's cheap considering that earlier this month a jury ordered Minnesota resident Jamie Thomas to pay $220,000 in damages to the RIAA for illegally sharing 24 files. Instead of paying 99 cents on iTunes, Thomas was ordered to pay $9,250 for each song.
"Regardless of your philosophical beliefs on the subject, the reality is people are getting nailed," said Doug Green, manager of network services and security at UNH.
Because he is in charge of the university's network, Green receives what are called DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) letters from organizations like the RIAA. These letters inform the Internet service provider (ISP) that one IP address on the network is illegally sharing copyrighted material that belongs to one of the artists that the RIAA represents.
According to the RIAA's website, they represent approximately 90 percent of all "legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States."
The 30 UNH students are among 411 from 19 higher-education institutions nationwide that were targeted in the newest wave of the RIAA's campaign against online music theft. The campaign specifically targets college campuses, which are considered by the organization to be the worst offenders of copyright infringement.
The pre-litigation letter notifies the recipient before charges are filed in order to give the accused an opportunity to "settle these claims as early as possible." The recipient is given 20 calendar days to resolve the claim by paying a fee of $3,000 and thus avoiding federal court, where the minimum fine is $750 for each copyright recording infringement. The recipient can call a phone number or to go to p2plawsuit.com where they can pay the fee over the internet. They accept all major credit cards.
That may seem steep, but it's cheap considering that earlier this month a jury ordered Minnesota resident Jamie Thomas to pay $220,000 in damages to the RIAA for illegally sharing 24 files. Instead of paying 99 cents on iTunes, Thomas was ordered to pay $9,250 for each song.
"Regardless of your philosophical beliefs on the subject, the reality is people are getting nailed," said Doug Green, manager of network services and security at UNH.
Because he is in charge of the university's network, Green receives what are called DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) letters from organizations like the RIAA. These letters inform the Internet service provider (ISP) that one IP address on the network is illegally sharing copyrighted material that belongs to one of the artists that the RIAA represents.
According to the RIAA's website, they represent approximately 90 percent of all "legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Internet Phone Calls
posted 1/15/09 @ 8:12 AM EST
I am curious about something... Do they own the copyright on the air and the cable of internet company too? Some of these claims are absolutely ridiculous. (Continued…)
Cancer Cure
posted 1/21/09 @ 3:36 AM EST
With the added enjoyment of the internet comes the added responsibility. Some things on the internet are free while other things on the internet are not free. (Continued…)
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