RIAA keeps heat on music traders; court sides with industry on naming names - Update

University Business, August, 2003

Having failed in its efforts to sue the makers of song-swapping software, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced in June that it would file several hundred civil and criminal suits against individual users. Last month, the industry kept its word by issuing subpoenas against Loyola University Chicago and several other universities to obtain the names of students it believes are engaged in file trading. The action follows the May settlement of suits against four students from Princeton (NJ), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY), and Michigan Technological University who were alleged to have allowed students to share copyrighted files on their universities computer networks. A federal court sided earlier with the recording industry, ruling that Internet providers must disclose the names of suspected song traders.

The RIAA claims file-sharing has declined 15 percent since it announced it would pursue individuals; others suggest the decline may in fact be due to the end of the academic year, when students have Less access to high-bandwidth university networks.