According to reports from UWIRE Affiliates, the Recording Industry Association of America recently began another round of letters to universities, alleging that students on those school networks had infringed on digital copyrights and would face litigation. This new wave of letters is the most recent effort by the RIAA to crack down on illegal downloading on campuses.
UWIRE Affiliates have coverage of the most recent round of letters — and stories on some students who are fighting back.
A New Wave | Fighting Back | Facing The Music
Ohio U. catcher stays focused in spite of RIAA lawsuit
These days, Chris Klimko has a little more on his mind than whether he will throw out an opposing runner trying to steal a base. The catcher, in the midst of a breakout season, was one of about 100 Ohio University students accused by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 2007 of illegally sharing music. More from The Post
Boston U. stuck in a tough spot between RIAA, students
Jim Stone, the director of consulting services at Boston University’s Office of Information Technology, said he spends a “ridiculous” amount of time each day dealing with lawyers, parents, students, subpoenas, lawsuits and law firms up in arms about RIAA copyright infringement lawsuits. More from The Daily Free Press
RIAA sends 18 pre-litigation letters to Penn
The RIAA - the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry - sent 569 letters to 26 institutions in total, making this the largest wave of letters since its campaign targeting college students launched in February 2007. More from The Daily Pennsylvanian
U. Illinois, RIAA punish illicit downloads
The Recording Industry Association of America has never hidden the fact that it pursues those who illegally download music or movies from file-sharing systems or peer-to-peer networks. But with finals week coming up and summer vacation right around the corner, the RIAA has become much more aggressive, said Brian Mertz, University communications specialist. More from The Daily Illini
Iowa State U. students once again in RIAA’s sights
Keith Bystrom, associate university counsel, said Iowa State has received letters from RIAA in the past, but the volume of the letters has increased as of late. More from The Iowa State Daily
Six U. Wisconsin students part of next wave of piracy letters
After not being targeted in the last wave of pre-litigation letters sent out the past February, the university received six letters from the RIAA last week and is in the process of analyzing the allegations to figure out who the students are. More from The Badger Herald
75 U. Texas students receive more RIAA letters
The University of Texas recently ranked as one of the highest in the number of students who received letters from the Recording Industry Association of America, out of 26 institutions that were contacted for suspicious downloading activity. More from The Daily Texan
RIAA requests file-sharing info from U. Arkansas
University of Arkansas administrators recently received a formal request from the Recording Industry Association of America, a trade group that represents intellectual property and First Amendment rights of the U.S. recording industry, asking that the UA cooperate in addressing illegal file-sharing activities. More from The Arkansas Traveler
Judge: Marshall U. must release names to RIAA
A judge has decided officials at Marshall University must release the names of students involved with downloading music illegally on one condition. More from The Parthenon
RIAA reps defend organization, face criticism at Boston U. panel
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. More from The Daily Free Press
Fighting Back
Federal ruling a respite from RIAA suits
The court ruled that individuals who make music available through peer-to-peer networks may not necessarily be found guilty of copyright infringement, citing the difference between making music available online and actually copying it. Attempts to obtain the names of people using a particular Internet protocol address — a unique number assigned by a network to its users — may be overbroad and violate privacy expectations, the court ruled. More from The Daily Free Press
Students win first battle with RIAA
In the first public fight against the Recording Industry Association of America since the group first started passing out lawsuits two years ago, eight students won a motion to quash on Feb. 27, as a judge ruled to drop the lawsuits. More from The Technician
Harvard Law looks into piracy suits
A Harvard law class is currently exploring the legal indications for universities caught between a responsibility to protect their file-sharing students and their accountability to an industry crusading to make examples out of students violating piracy laws.More from The Daily Free Press
U. Maine clinic backs students fighting RIAA
Ten students in the University of Maine system have decided to take the RIAA’s accusations of illegal file-sharing to court. What makes their case groundbreaking is that two of these students are being backed by a university program. More from The Maine Campus
GW student prepares to fight RIAA
Sherry is not a crazy downloader. She said she was “not one of those kids who downloaded 10,000 songs.” But Sherry is now being targeted by the Recording Industry of Association of America for illegally downloading music. And as a full-time college student with two jobs, she is individually butting heads with an entertainment industry giant. More from The GW Hatchet
U. Oregon accuses RIAA of spying on students
The University of Oregon’s response to a recent subpeona accuses the RIAA and its Internet investigation firm, MediaSentry, Inc., of “spying” on students and collecting personal information from computers. More from The Oregon Daily Emerald
The RIAA: One Year Later
As the recording industry’s nationwide legal battle against college music sharers enters its second year, Ohio University — once ground zero in that campaign — is no longer under fire. More from The Post
What if the RIAA targets you?
The messages - one from UConn and another from the RIAA’s lawyers - told Dave he had 20 days to settle the claim by paying the RIAA $3,000. If he chose not to settle, he would be sued. More from The Daily Campus
U. Nebraska student uses Facebook to pay RIAA fines
Ashley Havlena, a junior nursing major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was shocked when she read her e-mail before going to class on Nov. More from The Daily Nebraskan