Napster humming along on most campuses

In the 1960s, many college campuses were battlegrounds for the free-speech movement. Now in the new millennium, universities are battlegrounds for what could be termed the free-music movement, in which computer programs like the notorious Napster use the MP3 format to let consumers freely download and share near-CD- quality music.

The Recording Industry Association of America and the best-selling heavy metal band Metallica have sued Napster in an attempt to shut it down, calling it blatant piracy But a federal appeals court granted Napster a stay, allowing it to continue operations until a trial. What's got universities involved is that their powerful computer systems make it easier for students to use MP3 sites like Napster. It's estimated that 70 percent of MP3 exchanges take place via academic systems. Indeed, the RIAA has launched an education campaign on campuses designed to stem the tide of free tunes. But a lawyer for Metallica also wrote to a dozen U.S. schools asking them to restrict use of MP3 sites on their systems.

So far, however, it seems most schools are taking a wait-andsee approach. A recent survey of 50 schools found that only a third have blocked access to MP3 sites-among them Brown University, Oregon State University, and Northwestern University. Not all schools restrict music downloading because of legal fears. Some schools worry that heavy use of MP3 sites overloads campus systems, affecting genuine academic needs.

A random check of three universities by Prism found none that was banning MP3 usage. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology-one of the recipients of the Metallica letter-says it won't bar access. "MIT has had a long history of providing its faculty, staff, and students with uncensored access to the Internet and its vast array of resources," James D. Bruce, vice president for information systems, wrote back. But, he added, MIT likewise does not condone copyright infringement and will investigate specific allegations. The University of Michigan, also a recipient of the letter, says it will not prohibit access to MP3 sites "at this point." And Rutgers University simply says it has no policy on downloading music.

For the time being at least, it seems that the RIAA's best chance of pulling the MP3 plug is convincing America's undergrads that the moral high ground is shelling out $15 per CD rather than downloading all the free music they want online. And that's about as likely as a successful relaunch of eighttrack tape players.