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Music piracy crackdown nets college kids

2007-06-06 10:52:40

By ANNA JO BRATTON, Associated Press Writer Sun May 13 2007, 4:50 PM ET

LINCOLN, Neb. - At first, Sarah Barg thought the e-mail was a scam. Some group

called the

Recording Industry Association of America was accusing the University of

Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore of illegally downloading 381 songs using the

school's computer network and a program called Ares.

The letter said she might be sued but offered her the chance to settle out of

court.

Barg couldn't imagine anyone expected her to pay $3,000 $7.87 per song for

some 1980s ballads and Spice Girls tunes she downloaded for laughs in her dorm

room. Besides, the 20-year-old had friends who had downloaded thousands of

songs without repercussion.

"Obviously I knew it was illegal, but no one got in trouble for it," Barg said.

But Barg's perspective changed quickly that Thursday in March, when she called

student legal services and found out the e-mail was no joke and that she had a

pricey decision to make.

Barg is one of 61 students at UNL and hundreds at more than 60 college campuses

across the country who have received letters from the recording industry group,

threatening a lawsuit if they don't settle out of court.

"Any student on any campus in the country who is illegally downloading music

may receive one of these letters in the coming months," said Jenni Engebretsen,

an RIAA spokeswoman.

Barg's parents paid the $3,000 settlement. Without their help, "I don't know

what I would have done. I'm only 20 years old," she said.

At least 500 university students nationwide have paid settlements to avoid

being sued, Engebretsen said. Students who don't take the offer face lawsuits

and minimum damages of $750 for each copyrighted recording shared if they lose.

UNL officials have been told 32 more letters are on the way. 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."

Johnson got his e-mail in February, with the recording industry group's first

wave of letters targeting college students. He had downloaded 100 songs on a

program called LimeWire using the university network.

The money to settle came from the 18-year-old's college fund. He'll work three

jobs this summer to pay back the money.

Johnson compares what he did to people driving 5 miles per hour over the speed

limit.

"It's not like I downloaded millions of songs and sold them to people," Johnson

said.

But just one song can bring a lawsuit, Engebretsen said.

"It is important to send the message that this is illegal, you can be caught,

and there are consequences," she said.

The industry realizes attitudes need changing, and money from the settlements

is reinvested in educational programs schools and other groups can use to

spread the word that song sharing can have severe consequences.

Some of the programs are tailored to start with third-graders.

"We do recognize that by the time students reach college, many of their music

habits are already formed," Engebretsen said.

Earlier this month, members of Congress sent a letter to officials from 19

universities, including UNL, asking for information about schools' anti-piracy

policies.

According to the letter, more than half of college students download

copyrighted music and movies. The information requested is intended to help

assess whether Congress needs to advance legislation to ensure illegal

downloading "is no longer commonly associated with student life on some U.S.

campuses," the letter says.

Barg is still angry about her letter from the recording industry group, which

she calls bullying. But she agrees sharing music is common, and that other

students don't understand the consequences.

"Technically, I'm guilty. I just think it's ridiculous, the way they're going

about it," Barg said. "We have to find a way to adjust our legal policy to take

into account this new technology, and so far, they're not doing a very good

job."

Barg thinks the university should send an e-mail to all students, warning them

that the recording industry won't look the other way.

As campus clears out for the summer, UNL officials are considering launching a

new educational campaign in the fall.

"If we can do anything to help educate students about what illegal file-sharing

is, we're willing and interested in doing that," said Kelly Bartling, a

university spokeswoman.

Bartling said no one wants students to have to worry about how to pay tuition

because of an expensive settlement. "It is a hugely expensive lesson," Bartling

said.

Johnson, the UNL freshman, doesn't think the threats from the recording

industry group are going to solve the problem. Friends who know he got in

trouble still share music online.

"People are still going to do it until they get caught, and they can't catch

everyone," Johnson said.