October 8, 2007
University Residences helps students avoid illegal downloading woes
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University Residences has launched an educational campaign to help students understand the definition and consequences of illegally downloading and sharing electronic music files.A public service announcement is being aired on University Residences' on-campus cable television service Boiler TV. The PSA features a resident assistant who was forced to pay the Recording Industry Association of America more than $4,000 for having illegally downloaded 403 songs.
In the PSA, themed "Do it right!" a student identified only as "Amber" warns fellow students that the recording industry caught her and can catch them, too.
"They are coming, and they will get you," Amber says. "It's happening here and now."
Amber is one of 85 Purdue students to have received prelitigation letters from the RIAA. The association sends at least 400 such letters to college students each month. Students are typically given the opportunity to settle potential lawsuits rather than face the possibility of being charged hundreds of dollars for each illegally downloaded song. When downloaded legally through services such as iTunes, songs typically cost no more than one dollar.
Amber shared her experience with every resident assistant during their August training for the beginning of the academic year. The resident assistants are spreading that knowledge to students through educational gatherings inside the residence halls. Amber spoke to Owen Residence Hall students last month and is planning a similar session for the students at her own residence hall.
"I lost my down payment for a house and could barely pay for my books this semester," Amber said. "It ruined my entire semester. I want to tell whoever I can about this."
Amber frequently serves as a confidant to individual students who have been caught and face difficult decisions. On Oct. 17 she will speak to a communitywide audience during an educational forum sponsored by Purdue's Office of Information Technology.
Scott Ksander, executive director of information technology networks and security, said university officials are doing everything they can to inform students of the consequences of music piracy.
"Most students seem to understand the laws involved, but most assume they have more anonymity online than they really do," Ksander said. "Ultimately the only way to ensure that you will not face a lawsuit is to not violate the law, regardless of whether one agrees with that law."
The RIAA tracked Amber down through her use of an online peer-to-peer file sharing service called LimeWire. As part of her presentation, Amber tells students to visit MusicUnited.org, which maintains a list of legal online music providers such as Amazon.com, AOL and BestBuy.com.
As part of her agreement with the RIAA, Amber had to sign an agreement to never download illegally again, erase all illegally obtained music files from her computer and destroy all compact discs containing any such music.
"Amber has been forthcoming, informative and compassionate as she has stepped forward in such a public fashion during a personally trying time," said Barbara Frazee, executive director of University Residences. "This is exactly the kind of servant leadership we hope to foster in our young adults, and we will continue to seek ways to support dissemination of her important message."
Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
Sources: Scott Ksander, (765) 496-8289, ksander@purdue.edu
Barbara Frazee, (765) 494-1000, bjfrazee@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
To the News Service home page