RIAA ‘discussing USC policies’
p2pnet.net News:- It seems the University of South Carolina isn’t taking its role as unpaid Big 4 Organized Music cartel copyright cop seriously enough, strenuous efforts by US senator Jim DeMint’s daughter, Ginger, notwithstanding.
Because, “when it comes to online music piracy, USC tops the charts,” according to the RIAA, says “South Carolina’s home page,” The State.com, going on:
“The association has sent 914 notices of copyright infringement to the university this year – the highest number in the state and one of the highest among colleges nationwide – for illegally downloaded songs.
“Comparatively, Clemson received 71 notices this school year and Furman had 45.”
RIAA is short for Recording Industry Association of America. Owned by EMI (Britain), Vivendi Universal (France) and Sony BMG (Japan and Germany), and with Warner Music, run by a Canadian, at the tail end as the only American company, it long ago suborned a number of major US teaching institutions, turning them into sales, marketing and enforcement divisions run by publicly funded teaching and admin staff.
The same schools (with Penn State among the first, if not the first, to become an RIAA partner) also act as industry police, intimidating students and implementing measures designed to make sure they buy Big 4, and only Big 4, ‘product’.
The measures include suing some students to try to channel the rest down paths designated by Warner, et al.
Now, “In response, USC is discussing changes to its technology policies with Ginger DeMint, who lobbies for the Recording Industry Association as its director of government and industry relations,” says The State.
“She is the daughter of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.”
Said changes could include, “notices to students about illegal file-sharing, stricter limits on sharing files and university payment to a legal file-sharing service for USC students to use,” says the storyy, also quotingUSC cio Bill Hogue as declaring, “We are 100 percent committed to obeying the letter and spirit of the law”.
But, Hogue admits, “we can’t be the network police all the time”.
Ginger DeMint apparently declined to be interviewed and RIAA spokeswoman Jenni Engebretsen, “declined to disclose which other universities Ginger DeMint works with, except to say DeMint is ‘very involved in our university outreach program’ and is meeting with college administrators in Texas and California this month”.
Adds The State, “A spokesman for Sen. DeMint said USC officials, whom the senator meets with monthly, have not brought up the recording industry’s concerns, but he is happy to help. The spokesman also said DeMint does not have positions on digital copyright issues and associated lawsuits.”
Stay tuned.
Also See:
The New York Times – Google Halts ‘Miserable Failure’ Link to President Bush, January 29, 2007
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