AfterDawn: News

75% of students ignore RIAA threats

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) claims that its tactic of threatening students suspected of piracy with lawsuits is a success. However, as part of the trade group's recent clampdown on p2p filesharing on university campuses, only just over quarter of 400 students threatened with litigation for illegally sharing music online have agreed to settle with the group.

The RIAA has been warning students that if they refuse to settle out of court, (which usually amounts to a settlement package of approximately $3,000), then they could end up liable to pay $750 per every song illegally distributed.



The RIAA's first batch of letters aimed at university students across North America began in February, requesting 13 different institutions to notify students that they were being sued for sharing music illegally. A second wave of letters were sent out last week to 23 universities.

Source:
Betanews

Written by: Ben Reid @ 26 Mar 2007 10:32

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• 16 comments

• borhan9

  Quote:75% of students ignore RIAA threatsThis should prove to the RIAA how highly we rate them.

  26.3.2007 11:30 #1

• Pop_Smith

  Quote:pay $750 per every song illegally distributed. I thought a judge ruled this as way to high, I don't remember the exact term. I thought it was ruled it would be more like $1 or $10 at most per song instead of the ludicrous $750.

  26.3.2007 11:35 #2

• Ripper

  Quote:75% of students ignore RIAA threatsI'm proud to say I am one of the 75%. >.<

  26.3.2007 11:48 #3

• Blasph3my

  Quote: I'm proud to say I am one of the 75%. >.<Good on you mate.

  26.3.2007 11:50 #4

• windsong

  NEVER respond to a "threat" from them or their lawyers. As soon as you respond, you become a priority by validating to them you've received their "notice".

  26.3.2007 11:53 #5

• Ripper

  Well, technically, I'm not one of *that* 75%; being from the UK, and not uni age.. But, if they did that here, then I'd be part of it :P
  
  I'd just counter sue them for sumin - has to be done. Lol.
  
  :)

  26.3.2007 11:56 #6

• Allegro1

  Originally posted by Ripper:
  I'd just counter sue them for sumin - has to be done. Lol.
  :)Hoover: Don't screw around, they're serious this time!
  Otter: Take it easy, I'm pre-law.
  Boon: I thought you were pre-med.
  Otter: What's the difference?
  
  -shamelessly ripped from "Animal House" -1978

  26.3.2007 13:33 #7

• ZippyDSM

  thats because the RIAA are blow hards that want money every time someone speaks of their CP/IP they can get you for thinking abotu it...yet....
  -----------
  
  hey Lethal have seen this article IOShunt posted?

  26.3.2007 13:43 #8

• georgeluv

  now is that $750 per song being uploaded or $750 per instance of uploading?
  
  it such a shame, you know 90% of the people getting caught in the "uploading" dragnet had no idea they were even uploading. they are just average computer users who were too dumb to turn off sharing.

  26.3.2007 15:20 #9

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by georgeluv:now is that $750 per song being uploaded or $750 per instance of uploading?
  
  it such a shame, you know 90% of the people getting caught in the "uploading" dragnet had no idea they were even uploading. they are just average computer users who were too dumb to turn off sharing.its the magical number they pull from the mystic arse,watch it hes had beans!

  26.3.2007 17:10 #10

• Unfocused

  @georgeluv
  
  "they are just average computer users who were too dumb to turn off sharing."
  
  If everybody was the "elite super user" and turned off sharing, then nothing would be out there to download. All that would be available would be the legal DL sites. Is this the Internet Utopia that you would have us share?

  26.3.2007 19:46 #11

• georgeluv

  Originally posted by Unfocused:@georgeluv
  
  "they are just average computer users who were too dumb to turn off sharing."
  
  If everybody was the "elite super user" and turned off sharing, then nothing would be out there to download. All that would be available would be the legal DL sites. Is this the Internet Utopia that you would have us share?so the utopia you would have us share involves the elite users leaching off the backs of the idiots, reaping all the reward wile they all get 3,000 settledment letters and having the elites do nothing about it, not even warn them?

  27.3.2007 05:13 #12

• Unfocused

  @georgeluv
  
  Quote:“so the utopia you would have us share involves the elite users leaching off the backs of the idiots, reaping all the reward wile they all get 3,000 settledment letters and having the elites do nothing about it, not even warn them?”That is already the Internet that we experience on a daily basis. Most of these lawsuits come from Joe Schmoe clueless computer user who can't secure a wireless network. It is the more advanced users leaching off of this connection guaranteeing themselves anonymity from the powers that be. The warnings you speak of come from the RIAA and the MPAA.
  
  You claimed that people get caught because they are “too dumb to turn off sharing.” It is because of all of the clueless users that P2P took off as big as it did. If everybody was to stop sharing as you suggest, there would be no P2P, FTP, UseNEt, or any other methods of obtaining content.
  
  Most of the people that I work with wouldn’t even be able to find the music that they downloaded if their media player didn’t locate it for them. The concept of other folders beyond My Documents is mind numbing to them. The “90% of the people getting caught in the "uploading" dragnet” that you reference fall into this category.

  27.3.2007 06:59 #13

• windsong

  Quote:[quote=Unfocused]@georgeluv
  
  "and having the elites do nothing about it, not even warn them?Newbies could have all the warning they want if they do the research on how to post/download anonymously. Every piece of info on security you can imagine is available for free on the internet. PGP, Drivecrypt, Hashing, Encryption, etc. Google Dr. Who's Security FAQ. Everything you could want is in there. No need to get a M.S. in Comp. Sci! Or even a Bachelors Degree for that matter.

  27.3.2007 09:03 #14

• georgeluv

  Quote:That is already the Internet that we experience on a daily basis. Most of these lawsuits come from Joe Schmoe clueless computer user who can't secure a wireless network. It is the more advanced users leaching off of this connection guaranteeing themselves anonymity from the powers that be. The warnings you speak of come from the RIAA and the MPAA.i am well aware of the moral quandry that is "default sharing" in p2p clients. if it comes set to off there will be far, FAR less lawsuits but p2p bandwidth would suffer, possibly dramaticly.
  
  ...but it wouldnt die totaly like you said. i say NORMAL users should turn off sharing yes, but if you know what your doing, by all means spread the wealth and make the world a happier place. loads of shares are located in other more consumer freindly countries, or they are people who know what they are doing and hide their actulal location via international sever hopping, they could be located in america or anywhere, those people will always keep sharing.
  
  but yes if every casual user in america turned off sharing everything might slow to a trickle, america being one of the biggest countrys with a high percentage of internet users and a high number of highspeed connections.
  
  but just for the record even if p2p got wiped from the face of the earth IRC, Newsgroups, and rapidshare would be plenty to keep on going, after all p2p came from them, aside from rapidshare.

  27.3.2007 09:07 #15

• ChiefBrdy

  RIAA begins using new company logo:
  

  30.3.2007 17:04 #16