The Recording Industry Association of America is taking steps to prevent the illegal distribution of music,and is targeting college students in particular. Last May, the RIAA finally extracted money for the crime of copyright infringement, settling lawsuits with four students who were made to pay between $12,000 - $17,000 each. A Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student who was sued ran a service almost identical to Resnetster.
The Spectrum does not approve of the RIAA's tactics in protecting copyrighted music from piracy. While the RIAA has the right to safeguard their assets against theft, using fear will not only prove ineffective, but it will also alienate them from their most important current and future customers.
Thursday the RIAA released some of the sophisticated measures that they are using to detect electronic piracy, such as using 'digital fingerprints' left on files to find their distributor.
The RIAA intends to contact Internet Service Providers, including colleges, with the names or IP addresses of those possessing illegal recordings. The university may then be forced to suspect these offending student's accounts or face legal action. Additionally, students nationwide can expect about 1,300 subpoenas during the coming semester, and the RIAA has announced that they intend to sue students for as much as $150,000 per illegally obtained song on their hard drives.
The Spectrum acknowledges that the RIAA must take action in protecting its members from the theft of their intellectual property. Regardless of the incomes or lifestyles of recording artists, they deserve to be fully compensated for their work. However, the RIAA's crackdown on music sharing with extreme lawsuits is not an appropriate response. If the recording industry is worried about a diminished market, they should not make their remaining customers feel threatened.
The RIAA's invasion of privacy is a cause for alarm. Neither the government nor private industry should have the right to monitor specific files being transferred between computers. This type of monitoring will create a dampening effect on the free exchange of information integral to further scientific and academic growth.
The Spectrum believes the RIAA must re-evaluate their plans. They must focus their efforts on creating media that is more difficult to copy. Also, they should market their music in such a way that it is more desirable when purchased, such as bundling it with special features. Ultimately, the music industry needs to stay in touch with their listener base, and seek to better meet the needs of college students instead of threatening them with legal action.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
