Issue date: 10/7/05 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Cindy Osborn

Have you seen the new "Family Guy" movie yet? It was all over the Internet long before it was released, along with just about every song and movie ever made and most popular software applications. Internet piracy has become a serious issue for the movie, music and software industries, and universities are caught in the middle of a struggle between keeping students happy and obeying the law.

It is common knowledge that young people, especially college students, commit the majority of music piracy. The limited budget of students coupled with the high price of music makes the decision to download pirated songs a bit less guilt-ridden than it might otherwise be. With the addition of high-speed Internet connections offered on most campuses, the temptation is just too strong to resist for most people. The music is there, they want it, it's cheap, it's easy to get and it does not lead to any direct harm. Seems like a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, it is still illegal. This puts universities in a tough situation. They are the Internet service providers (ISPs) for thousands of students, and this role carries with it certain legal obligations. Tom Putnam, executive director of Computing and Information Services, said, "The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) protects ISPs from some liability in return for cooperation when a copyright owner notifies the ISP of material being shared on the Internet."

Many students are scared by the thought of the University turning them in to lawsuit-happy record labels. Jessica Glenn, sophomore computer engineering major, thinks the University "should follow the law and refuse to release private student information unless a subpoena is given." She adds they "should put the students' right to privacy first." In fact, this seems to be exactly what our University is doing.

"In general, if CIS is notified of alleged illegal activity, our practice is to gather evidence and turn it over to the appropriate authorities who deal with violations of rules and/or laws", Putnam said. "For students, these allegations are handled by Student Conflict Resolution Services in the Department of Student Life."

According to CIS, Texas A&M received 69 notifications of copyright infringement last year but only nine subpoenas to identify the infringing user. Of these nine cases, only three were in fact campus users. Regardless of how easy and fun music piracy can be, it remains an illegal act, and the University is bound by law. If someone is caught sharing a copyrighted work, he should not expect protection from the University.

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