School districts should take note of recent copyright infringement lawsuits filed by the RIAA
School districts should take note of recent copyright infringement lawsuits filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), a trade group representing the five major recording companies. “Are you headed to junior high schools to round up the usual suspects?” asked Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in a recent hearing. As the RIAA continues its aggressive campaign to sue people who illegally share music online, many schools and colleges are facing increased technical and legal pressures to halt the swapping of music and movie files over campus and school district Internet connections. U.S copyright laws allow for damages of $750 to $150,000 for each song offered illegally on a person’s computer. The RIAA has thus far filed 261 federal lawsuits, including a suit against a 12-year-old girl. Additionally, at least 10 universities and colleges have been served with subpoenas demanding that they help the recording industry identify possible targets for such lawsuits. Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology moved to quash subpoenas that sought the names of students suspected of music piracy because the subpoenas did not allow for adequate time to notify the students as mandated by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Some colleges and universities have initiated campus ads and orientation sessions to educate students on the legal ramifications of illegal file sharing. They also are installing software to block access to the popular file sharing sites. Although there are legitimate reasons for file sharing, most students do not realize that what they are doing could get them into legal trouble.
eSchool News
By eSchool News staff and wire reports
Full Story: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4662
[Editor’s Note: Although file sharing may not be as prevalent in K-12 schools as in colleges and universities, school districts offering Internet connections may want to consider addressing the subject in their computer acceptable use policies and educating students on the legal consequences of copyright infringement. Additionally, school districts need to be mindful of FERPA requirements regarding notice to parents and students before complying with a subpoena. See 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(b)(2)(B) and 34 C.F.R. § 99.31(a)(9).]