Previous |
Next |
March 06, 2007, 02:57 PM ET
Colleges Forward Record Industry's Legal Warnings
Yesterday we noted that the University of North Dakota had decided it could not forward pre-litigation notices to two unnamed students accused by the recording industry of music piracy. But we failed to note that the unforwarded letters were just two of 19 such notices sent to the North Dakota University System. Each of the notices, from the Recording Industry Association of America, identified a student by his or her Internet-protocol number. The other 17 messages have already been passed on to the students they were intended for, says Dick Jacobson, the university system's IT-security officer.
University officials were unable to pass along two of the notices, said Mr. Jacobson, because they cited alleged file-sharing offenses that had occurred just over a month ago. The university keeps Internet-protocol logs for at least 30 days, but those that would have identified the students had been deleted, he said.
"I think we’re being responsible in passing the letters on and giving students the opportunity to settle," said Mr. Jacobson. He added that the university system makes clear to both students and industry lawyers that once the notices are forwarded, "we’re out of the picture."
Two other institutions have decided to send students the pre-litigation letters. Ohio University forwarded 50 such notices, according to The Post, of Athens, Ohio, and Northern Illinois University announced that it would pass along 28 letters, reported the Associated Press. Campus officials are treading cautiously, it seems, but many are coming to the conclusion that forwarding the messages is their wisest course. --Brock Read
Categories: Campus-Piracy, Student-Life
Add Your Comment
Commenting is closed.