Slashdot Mirror
Ohio University Leads U.S. Colleges in File Sharing
An anonymous reader writes "The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Ohio University leads the nation in illegal music download notifications, having received 1,287 RIAA complaints since September, with between ten and 15 notices arriving daily. The University is attempting to deflect criticism with a PR piece, saying open networks required for academic freedom make it difficult to stop illegal file sharing. They also point out that the University's architecture makes it much easier to determine who is actually sharing the files. This makes a complaint more likely, as the RIAA knows who to target. "
At least the reporters are able to tell the difference between OU and OSU, unlike certain Slashdot-posting idiots I could mention.
Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
They're not the university with the most file sharers...they're the university with the most file sharers WHO GOT CAUGHT. The smart thing to do is ensure that most file sharing is within the university, not with outside sources, to minimize exposure to the ??AA. If you're getting caught, you're doing it wrong.
The reality is that it is not the responsibility of universities to enforce privately-held copyrights. If the RIAA wants to enforce their copyrights, then they should do the investigation, collect evidence, and file suit.
Instead, they are attempting to offload this responsibility to the universities, thereby limiting file sharing AND their own expenses to maximize profit.
Note that an increase of over 2,786% year over year is not explainable by any changes in behavior of the population in question. Instead, it is explainable only by changes in the behavior of the RIAA. The likelihood is that, between 2005 and 2006, the RIAA hired a bunch of writers to fire off 30X more letters than in years' past, so as to manufacture a scary-sounding story that a lazy reporter will swallow.
Download the stuff off-campus and then send it to your on-campus site over a secured connection.
Firewall that site so only on-campus addresses can access it. If you want to, make it invitation only. Just remember to encrypt the transmissions.
There, now no one off-campus can tell that you're doing anything at all on-campus.
And, as such, they haven't lost to THE National Championship University of Florida in both Basketball and Football this season. Mainly because they haven't played.
(Seriously. I don't get the whole "THE Ohio State University" thing. It just sounds so oddly phrased, and yet I hear it all the time. What's up?)