RIAA attacks UCDavis staff member
p2pnet news | RIAA News:- Having to deal with RIAA extortion letters is seriously, and negatively, affecting Jan Carmikle’s normal work.
She’s the UC (University of California) Davis intellectual property officer and as such, is primarily responsible for getting permission for the university to use various copyrighted materials, and to license UC Davis property elsewhere.
But Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG’s RIAA has, “forced her to devote 15 percent of her work to dealing with DMCA infringements – a waste of taxpayers’ money,” she says, quoted in UC Davis’ the California Aggie.
Nor is the university alone in having to puts its metaphorical hand into its own metaphorical pocket to pay for the Big 4’s bizarre, and purely commercial, anti-student marketing blitz, launched at the begining of last year.
Cindy Frank, director of service delivery and project management for information technology atVanderbilt University in Nashville in Tennessee, admits her school has spent half-a-million-dollars to keep the RIAA off its back.
Of the UC campuses, only UCLA has received more pre-lawsuit letters, she said.
Why UC Davis?
“[The RIAA] is not really willing to share that information,” she says in the story. “The RIAA does not have a method of targeting students either. It’s totally random. They don’t know who the individuals are. They don’t have a way of knowing who is doing how much.”
Meanwhile, a recipient of the last batch pre-lawsuit letters —- a euphemism for the RIAA extortion notes —- was an anonymous UC Davis staff member who, according to the California Aggie, “said he was stunned to learn that he was illegally sharing music.”
He went on:
I have a university computer that I use as a laptop that I have my own personal music on. It’s music that I own. Some of it had been downloaded using Gnutella, but it’s all that I own.
My library was open to shared filing. I was unaware that a lot of people had access to my computer.
He said the RIAA letter demanded a $3,000 settlement that had to be paid within 20 days, or else, according to the post.
“I wasn’t even aware of what had happened,” he said. “I considered hiring an attorney [but] I realized this is going on across the country and that it’s an uphill battle and that it’s really something you can’t defend yourself against.”
The staff member said he was upset he’d been targeted, but was powerless to fight the RIAA in court.
“I feel like I had been wrongfully persecuted, but what was I going to do?”
The story goes on UC Davis is receiving “a slew of Digital Millennium Copyright Act notifications” from entertainment cartel companie such as NBC Universal, the Entertainment Software Association and others send DMCA notices as well.”
Students who live in university-owned housing also are at risk of being targeted, according to Don Dudley, student judicial affairs associate director. “DMCA notices also originate from other campus housing areas such as The Colleges, Primero Grove, and Solano and Orchard Park,” he said, states the California Aggie.
But although DMCA notices are on the decline, says Carmikle, “notifications resulting from use of the campus wireless network” have “skyrocketed,” it says, continuing:
“The RIAA and media companies target students who download copyrighted material using peer-to-peer clients, such as BitTorrent and LimeWire. The RIAA and media companies’ agents target IP addresses associated with universities and attempt to download files from them.”
DMCA violations are down about 30 percent this year, says the California Aggie, adding student judicial affairs officer Sheila Harrington was asked why the university, “plans to become more vigilant”.
“Why the urgency? More and more students are receiving these pre-lawsuit letters from the RIAA,” she replied.
For many students, “that’s financially disastrous”.
Jon Newton – p2pnet
Also See:
California Aggie – RIAA threatens UC Davis students with more lawsuits, February 8, 2008
anti-student marketing blitz – p2pnet RIAA school report, February 2, 2008
spent half-a-million-dollars – RIAA, caring and sharing: not, February 7, 2008
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February 12th, 2008 at 11:55 am
The DMCA is not constitutional and thererfore it is a nulle law. Citizen can and should ignore it.
Trying to enforce the DMCA is a constitutional crime punished by fine and possibly prison term.
If you are a judge, a law enforcement officer or an attorney you should be award that trying to enforce an unconstitutional law could land you in prison.
If they want the citizen to obey a law they have to make sure it is not encroaching the US constitution.
A law is clear: A law repugnat to the constitution is nulle and non enforcable
February 12th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
“He said the RIAA letter demanded a $3,000 settlement that had to be paid within 20 days, or else, according to the post.”
If I was him I will pay these guys with pest killer within 24 hours. It is a lot shipper and faster than a lawer.
This is the most efficient way to deal with parasites.
February 12th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
>For many students, “that’s financially disastrous”.
Gee, I guess the RIAA figures that if they’re sharing music as students, they don’t deserve to have a college education…
February 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
“For many students, “that’s financially disastrous”
It does not have to be. Don’t settle! That’s all!
I recommand fighting these pigs in court but if you don’t want the hassle let them do their crap and BK chapter 7 with a good Bk Attorney. You can even put the credit card you used to pay the Attorney fee in the BK!
(Attorney fee for a BK chapter 7 arround $1200)
I know people going BK and buying a home 2 weeks latter! Seriously!
And as far as the entertainment parasites are concerned, they got zip! They even have to foot their legal fee that can amount to hundred of thousand dollars!
Remember that if you settle you don’t do anything good because they will use your money to victimize another innocent person.
If everyone fight they will not be able to afford this type of criminal activity for very long particularly since their business is going down.
Also remember that the more people settle the harder these parasites are to stop.
The odd that some people might start shooting them as a result rises consequently.