Music piracy crackdown nets college kids

[Mark30001]

Via msnbc

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.

[gunntims0103]

Why were they using there school's computer network to download music? Why would you download anything on a school network internet enabling system. Thats just blatant stupidity on there part.

[jmendes]

Another scape goat. RIAA isnt going anywhere with this.

[wolfpack]

they just want the money, yet pretty much none of it by now goes to the bands that make it

[Shadowblind]

they just want the money, yet pretty much none of it by now goes to the bands that make it

THATS NOT TRUE!...for every song stolen from them, the bands get 0.0001 cents. So 100 stolen songs = they get .01 cents

[kcajblue]

Why were they using there school's computer network to download music? Why would you download anything on a school network internet enabling system. Thats just blatant stupidity on there part.

thats true.
why would you even think about using the schools internet to download stuff.

[Mark30001]

If you live in a dorm, that's the only internet you'll have.

It's still not a smart choice though.

[pibs]

Isn't that kinda an invasion of privacy though?

and i know better now, just to get a network air card with my phone service!

[Mark30001]

I wouldn't think so, since it's on campus grounds.

[PLZKLLME0080]

Why were they using there school's computer network to download music? Why would you download anything on a school network internet enabling system. Thats just blatant stupidity on there part.

OMG thats just what i was thinking!