According to a recent report, many college campuses have not yet adopted comprehensive policies to combat music piracy despite an increase in anti-piracy technology.
The report, issued by the Education Task Force of the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities, also contained case studies of specific colleges that have taken efforts to curb peer-to-peer file-sharing on campus networks.
The report, entitled “University Policies and Practices Addressing Improper Peer-to-Peer File Sharing,” noted that the rapid growth of peer-to-peer file sharing technologies over university networks has generated a great deal of concern among copyright owners and widespread attention in the media due to the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted works.
Though over 80 percent of higher education institutions surveyed in the report have online-accessible statements on peer-to-peer file sharing, less than 20 percent of these institutions had a formal policy on peer-to-peer file sharing use.
Georgetown, like other universities, is currently taking steps to prevent illegal file-sharing on the university network and to also educate students and faculty on the risks of illegal downloading.
“The inappropriate use of file-sharing, unfortunately, is an issue at Georgetown and many other college campuses,” Julie Green Bataille, assistant vice president for communications said. “Georgetown attempts to educate students in a variety of ways about the issue, including town-hall meetings on technology issues, semester e-mail mailings, newsletter articles and we’re in the process of incorporating this issue into the academic integrity on-line tutorials required for first-year students.”
According to the report, other universities have made efforts to educate students about the legal and illegal aspects of file sharing. They have also updated their policies to address the use of peer-to-peer technologies. Emory University has initiated a poster campaign for its students advertising information about unauthorized file sharing and its consequences.
The University of Florida blocks peer-to-peer file sharing. If their program detects any peer-to-peer file sharing on a network computer, it immediately disconnects that computer from the network. First-time offenders are disconnected for 30 minutes, second-time offenders are disconnected for five days and third-time offenders are disconnected indefinitely, subject to the university’s discretion. The university reports decrease of over 90 percent in peer-to-peer file sharing usage.
Northwestern University warns students and faculty that the potential penalties for continued use of unauthorized file sharing may result in anything from fines to suspension. Penn State entered into a contract with the new, legally reconfigured Napster to provide its students with online music. The service is paid for as a part of the existing student technology fee and allows students access to file downloads.
Last week, Georgetown received a subpoena from the Recording Industry Association of America for information related to the illegal downloading of material by three individuals who used the university network. University officials have notified the individuals who may be involved. Georgetown is still in the process of evaluating the subpoena in a manner that is consistent with the university’s legal obligations. Despite the university’s affiliation with the individuals, Bataille emphasized that anyone involved in personal litigation is represented by their own legal counsel, not the counsel of the university.
Students and faculty should be aware that content owners have the ability to identify computer addresses of those who are involved in illegal downloading and can pursue legal action against the user, Bataille said. An Internet protocol address, a unique number that identifies a computer, can be used to track a computer, and possibly the user, that downloaded copyrighted material.
In addition to the legal risk of downloading copyrighted material, Bataille also stated that many file-sharing programs, such as Kazaa, make computers on the network prone to harmful viruses and hacking, and may include Spyware, which allows other parties to view unauthorized information.