College Life Update: P2P, File Sharing, and the RIAA

Students are arriving on college campuses in the midst of a heated drive by the music industry to stem illegal music file sharing among college students. It's been a busy year for the litigious Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), so here's what students and parents need to know about peer-to-peer (P2P) applications on college computer networks and the ramifications of uploading illegal music files.

• The RIAA wants its day in court. In several courts in fact. During the 2006 school year and the first half of 2007, the RIAA has filed thousands of complaints against individuals, including students. In February, the industry group released the top 25 universities that received the most copyright complaints.

• If a RIAA letter reaches individual students, with the help of the university which must match the student's IP address with a music file in question, the RIAA tells the student he must pay fees, say $3,000 to $5,000, to avoid a lawsuit. Those who don't settle often get rolled into a "John Doe" lawsuit brought by the RIAA in several jurisdictions. The RIAA has recently shifted tack, and since February has been sending letters to universities asking them to forward "pre-litigation letters" to students it claims have infringed on copyrights. The letters offer the chance to pay a "discounted" settlement for staying out of court.

• The RIAA is not winning easily in court. While some federal judges are siding with industry lawyers' bids to force schools to turn over names, email address, and other contact info of implicated students, other federal judges, including this New Mexico magistrate, are ruling against RIAA motions demanding that courts force universities to reveal the identities of students.

• Once you've unpacked and set up your PC, check out your school's policy toward P2P applications. They are all over the board in their approach; some are cooperating with the RIAA and linking IP addresses with complaints, while others are still taking a more stand-off approach. This Williams College file sharing page provides a sense of how many schools are getting the word out to students.

• Check out this very helpful and clearly written page by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "RIAA v. the Students: An FAQ for 'Pre-Lawsuit' Letter Targets." It's full of helpful resources and straightforward answers that will come in handy if you're ever faced with a letter from the RIAA.

To steer clear of a potential legal mess, check out Robin Raskin's post on legally sharing music in dorms. And if you want to take an educated dive into file sharing, read "Wired's Education 2.0: The College Student's Guide to File Sharing." More links below.

LINKS: How To Not Get Sued for File Sharing [Electronic Frontier Foundation]
Piracy: Online and On the Street [RIAA]

Related: The Dorm is Alive with the Sound of Shared Music
Congress Weighs in on Campus Music File Sharing
Music Industry Steps up Campus Complaints