RIAA’s Crackdown Nets College Students

[HardOCP News]

For months we’ve all heard about the RIAA’s rather harsh crackdown on college kids around the country for downloading music. Though it is hard to feel sorry for people that admit to piracy, do you think the RIAA is targeting students because they are easy prey?

At least 17 UNL students who did not take the settlement offer have been sued, according to the RIAA, although the university has been asked to forward only five subpoenas. But the students coughing up the cash question why they're the ones getting in trouble. "They're targeting the worst people," UNL freshman Andrew Johnson, who also settled for $3,000. "Legally, it probably makes sense, because we don't have the money to fight."

 

[GJSNeptune]

[D]o you think the RIAA is targeting students because they are easy prey?

Yes.

But from my experience, many college students do it without realizing the legalities of it.

 

[AaronP]

I wonder when they'll start targeting government workers.

 

[w1retap]

So you can pirate all you want for $3000? LoL

 

[THRESHIN]

yea now that some are starting to fight back might as well hit up the students that are flat broke and therefore can't afford lawyers.

 

[iansilv]

skrew 'em! I was a college student until recently, and I didn't download music because it is illegal and screws musicians. IPeople that download crap are the reason we can't more easily manipulate our dvds on homebrew media servers.

 

[Martyr]

skrew 'em! I was a college student until recently, and I didn't download music because it is illegal and screws musicians. IPeople that download crap are the reason we can't more easily manipulate our dvds on homebrew media servers.

musicians make dick off of cd's

the music and movie industry dont want you to be able to get things off their disks and onto your servers so they can sell you the same thing again in a different format.

 

[Jza]

skrew 'em! I was a college student until recently, and I didn't download music because it is illegal and screws musicians. IPeople that download crap are the reason we can't more easily manipulate our dvds on homebrew media servers.

Wrong. People in the entertainment industry incapable of using working business practices to adapt to todays world of information exchange. It's all about money. They didn't stop people from cassette recording stuff off the radio when I was younger, and they shouldn't have either.

People downloading stuff are screwing musicians? The record companies have been doing a kickass job of that for years now.

 

[Nobi125]

Way to get the next generation of educated people on your side.

 

[stabilep]

While I strongly believe on has the rights to protect ones copyrights and assets my biggest issue is how the RIAA is handling the whole thing. Its like a PR disaster of epic proportions.

 

[BillR]

This sort of fits in with my long winded post on a similar subject:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1191179


Since they can’t seem to make much headway with the public at large they target a “closed” network which is much easier.

Add to that they no doubt have a ton of pull when it comes to federal funding and that allows lot more control over what the school will and won't allow on the network.

I find it really hard to think that anyone thinks sharing music and videos is not legal. That said there is the case of the Duke students who got caught cheating on a test the other week. Some one got info on a test that was to be given, found a copy of the same test/paper and posted it on the college network. The 14 only got caught because many forgot to change the date from 2004 to 2007, most didn’t change a thing answer wise as well as not bothering to change the signature of the original student’s test.

 

[messerchmidt]

as both a college student and major pirate, I would laugh at them and not pay them a dime. Ok well I can afford to pay for software and music, but then I would not have enough to pay for my radeon 2900xt, quad core cpu, etc...yo get the idea.

there are technicalities with the way they track the downloads (RIAA and/or their legal team seems to be somewhat incompetent... such a comedy of errors...). Also the university must agree to work with them, etc - I would ask for evidence before I even considered paying and/or getting a lawyer. Now, most law schools have legal aid...never admit to being guilty or they mayl not help you, always play innocent (even if you are not!). You do not need Greenspan for a case like this. You can get a descent lawyer for a 3000$ retainer.

 

[THRESHIN]

AVAST YE MATIES! BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES, THERE BE A STORM BREWIN ON THE HORIZON! THIS DO BE THE EVIL WORK OF THE RIAA AND THEIR VOODOO MAGIC!! YO HO HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!