While file sharing on college campuses and the risks associated with it are well known phenomena that have recieved plenty of media attention over the years, many University offices and campus groups see a need to further educate students

The University’s Chief Information Officer and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs have sent out two letters in the past year outlining the issue for students, said Sue Lewis Deputy Chief Information Officer for the University. Lewis said it was important for students to understand the issue because the stakes can be very high.

“If people are illegaly sharing music, students or otherwise, the consequences can be severe,” she said. “The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sued hundreds of individuals, including students. Some of those students have had to pay around $10,000, and that penalty can even be much greater.”

The RIAA’s website say that the penalties can be much higher and even include jail time.

“The online infringement of copyrighted music can be punished by up to 3

years in prison and $250,000 in fines,” the website said. “Repeat offenders can be imprisoned up to 6 years. Individuals also may be held civilly liable, regardless of whether the activity is for profit, for actual damages or lost profits, or for statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringed copyright. “

Lewis said the consequences can even go beyond lawsuits.

“An individual can be sued like the RIAA does, but they can also face criminal charges and University discipline.”

Lewis said University discipline is decided on a case-by-case basis and can be as simple as a warning or as severe as an expulsion.

The Chief Information Officer, the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Information Technologies and Education Services (CITES) have been organizing a program to further educate students about file sharing, Lewis said. The program will include webpages, newspaper advertisements and information in classes. Much of the program was designed by students, and the University consulted with student advisory boards for reccomendations. Lewis said the University will also continue to monitor the music and film indstries to keep abrest of the latest developments in file sharing for both mediums.

Jerry Cheng, Senior in LAS and Treasurer of the Free Software Society, said that the University’s goal to educate students is necessary and preferable to how the music and film industries have handled the problem.

“Our position is that the technology has legitimate purposes,” he said. “Some bands use it to become well known, that’s legitimate. The abuse of the software shouldn’t make us get rid of the technology. It’s like any other tool. The industries think the only way to limit the use of this tool is to get rid of it.”

Cheng said he believed people continue to use illegal file sharing probrams because they don’t fully understand the issue.

“I think the public isn’t educated on copyrights, what they mean and how to respect them,” he said. “CITES doesn’t seem to really explain that, they just shut off ports.”

In addition to educating students about the dangers of illegal file-sharing, the University has instituted an online database of legal ways to share files, Lewis said.

“We’ll have a grid that explains the most common legal file sharing programs, their cost, names, number of songs, format and operating systems,” she said. “This has been available for about six months, but we’re updating it to include more information.”

Lewis said that there are several ways students can legally obtain music and they only needed to be educated.

“On some of these alternatives, the songs cost less than a bottle of water, less than a latte,” she said. “There’s a lot available for students and we want them to be aware of these oppurtunities.”