Boston University College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Paul Sawiya created a Facebook application to allow students to add music to their pages, and later received a letter from the RIAA, forcing him to take down his application because it contained illegal files.
Sawiya said the files had been added by application users and were not his, but when he tried to talk to the RIAA to better explain his situation, the music industry organization ignored him.
Sawiya, along with about 60 other Boston University students, turned out to hear RIAA representatives explain the tactics the group uses to discourage copyright infringement and prosecute violators and field questions last night.
“So it seems the RIAA is not really interested in understanding any new business models,” Sawiya told the representatives during the question-and-answer session.
Recording Industry Association of America representatives Mitch Glazier, executive vice president for government and industry relations, and Jonathan Lamy, senior vice president for communications, said they could not comment specifically on Sawiya’s question because they were not familiar with his case since it technically concerns the illegal activities of a business, not an individual.
Sawiya said he was not satisfied with RIAA explanations, and he did not agree with its practices.
“Do you think people have rights when they are in fear?” Sawiya said after the representatives left. “They are using a legal instrument as a means of intimidation.”
The panel discussion at the College of General Studies was hosted by the Student Union Technology Committee and the Dean of Students Office.
“It’s good that students are asking questions to make sure that what the RIAA is doing is morally ethical at the same time that RIAA is trying to find out if what we’re doing is morally ethical,” Union Technology Committee Chairman Jonathan Pasquale said.
Pasquale said the representatives were knowledgeable about the company, but did not seem to be informed about certain questions about the accuracy and legality of its tracking methods.
“They were dodging some questions, no doubt,” Pasquale said. “It’s unethical to circumvent the legal system, and they have no real proof that the person is downloading illegally until they issue a subpoena.”