This past week the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) successfully sued Jammie Thomas of Minnesota for illegally downloading 24 songs. A jury ordered her to pay $220,000 to six record companies.
And this is just the start.
Illegal down loading of music on college campuses all across the country is being targeted by the RIAA. So far about 3,329 pre-litigation notices have been sent to universities all across the country, according to the RIAA. The notice gives the recipient a chance to settle out of court as a substitute for civil action.
Most college students who illegally download music do so through the misuse and abuse of university networks. Students share illegally downloaded music through campus networks. So, in a sense the only thing they are guilty of is illegal-sharing of music. And the RIAA is not going after solely students but anybody who illegally shares downloaded music- including faculty.
The problem over RIAA attack on academic institutions is that they are targeting easy targets. And most students do not have accurate knowledge of the law-or can not afford a lawyer- so they are left with very few choices. College students do not have the money or time to settle a lawsuit. Most college student do not have the money to buy every single record they want so they turn do file sharing as an alternative.
The misuse of college networks for illegal file sharing is certainly one thing college students are guilty of but they are alternatives. Such as Napster or many other music downloading sites that let you listen and download music for a small fee.
Illegal downloading on college campuses is a big problem, last year alone over 1.3 million songs were illegally downloaded on college campuses. But, what the RIAA has to realize is that these lawsuits are not going to stop the mass peer-to-peer file sharing going on on college campuses.
The RIAA is never going to recover the money lost to illegal downloading so their fight seems frivolous. Sure, it might deter a couple of individuals but the mass file sharing will continue and the RIAA has to realize that. The argument that artist are losing money over illegal downloading is futile as well.
What is the purpose of art if not be shared? Don’t you make music so as many people as possible can hear and judge its value? Would a poet or a painter sue over sharing of their artwork?
How many students and universities the RIAA will sue only the future will tell. The RIAA might have found the extra confidence this past week to initiate a mass hunting of every university or student that illegally downloads music. The music is out there and pretty easy to find but the next time you download a track of Kazaa be aware that some greedy unmoral executive might be monitoring you and just waiting to empty your pockets.
You’ve been warned.
