Music Industry Tells Students Pay Up

50 Ohio University Students Asked To Pay $3,000 Each For Pirating Songs Off Internet

(AP)  The music industry is asking 50 Ohio University students to pay $3,000 each to avoid lawsuits accusing them of pirating songs off the Internet.

The Recording Industry Association of America asked the university to pass along letters to the students with Internet addresses accused of being involved with the illegal sharing of copyrighted music. The university notified the students on Monday.

"The downloading has occurred and we can't change that, but we can let them know what their options are," OU spokeswoman Sally Linder said Wednesday.

Patrick McGee, a local attorney the university arranged to meet with students, said $3,000 is the standard offer though cases have settled for as much as $5,000. He has represented four Ohio University students in file-sharing lawsuits.

Jenni Engebretsen, spokeswoman for the trade group, based in Washington, D.C., would not disclose or confirm what the standard settlement offer is. She did say no cases have gone to trial across the country.

As part of its ongoing copyright crackdown, the association has already sued about 18,000 computer users nationwide since September 2003. The figure includes 1,062 computer users at 130 universities.

The association said last month that it intended to sue more students and others on campuses in the next three months than it has in the past three years and that it would send 400 letters a month to computer users suspected of copyright infringement.

Letters were sent to 13 universities last week, giving students 20 days to pay a settlement.

A letter to one Ohio University student told her that she distributed 787 audio files, putting her total minimum potential liability at more than $590,000. The minimum damages under the law is $750 for each copyright recording that had been shared, the letter said.

Many students cannot even afford the $3,000, McGee said.

"I think the record company is smart enough to know that a lot of students do not have the money," he said. "They can't actually take them up on the offer."

[michellem99-2009]

I feel that I would rather buy the CDs to play in the boom box.

[grumpy1968]

Well I guess since their falling "cd sales" have not been made up for by their rapidly rising "online sales" they have to have some way of getting their mercedes payments! I have not nor will I buy a cd of the drm laden garbage that is being put out at this time! IF I buy it is from second hand stores!! As far as I know the greedy corporate execs, filled with thoughts of every consumer is a thief, don't get a penny from those sales. The riaa and mpaa disgust me to no end. I belive that the artists deserve to be paid for their talents but unfortunately the artists see very little in the way of royalties. WHY? DO some digging on the internet and you can find out why!

[anopinion1]

if you actually wanna pay for the music you like what works well is go to www.half.com look up the cd's you want. buy them. once you get them save them to your computor and back them up or whatever and then just burn cd's when you feel like it.

and just post the original cd back on half.com sell it and you paid like 2 bucks maybe for a cd.

when napster and then kaaza came out originally that was soooo awsome tho ..
when in the dorms using kaaza.. we just searched for friends(who were also in the dorms) we knew who had lots of music and were online.. and you could download their entie list of music almost no matter how big in like 5 min.
(basically as fast as you could click do download it was finished)

that is another reason why universities are targeted. something about a t-3 connection speed and being networked together (i think)made it rediculous.........

[nothappyatall]

Simple way to avoid this; BOYCOTT the music industry and bring them down crawling on their knees, don't buy ANY music, CD's DVD's etc and you watch within one month they will be on their knees begging people to even buy their stuff at fire sale prices.

[bbp9857]

[this is not legal advice.] I don't think any of the students should settle. The recording studio probably needs a lot more than an IP address and a list of files to win anything. They need the actual hard drive. Furthermore, they need to prove who was behind the IP - anyone could have been using the computer or the internet connection if they share the connection (open and unencrypted wireless router, switch, whatever). Even if they had a mac address to go along with the IP address, and even if they had a registered username to go along with the IP address, the alleged file sharer could be sharing the computer with a roommate, a friend, etc. It's no surprise that very few people who have elected not to settle have actually lost anything beyond legal fees, which in Foster's case the RIAA has been forced to fork over.

Read http://digitalmusic.weblogsinc.com/2006/08/07/the-riaa-vs-john-doe-a-laypersons-guide-to-filesharing-lawsui/ for more information.

[ericdobbs]

I have not bought a CD since they started these lawsuits. I do not illegally download music, nor do I buy it from online sales services. I just boycott the industry until it can figure out how to deal with new technology without terrorizing their customers. I am also appalled at the way the industry treats their young artists as well as their older ones, from whom they have withheld royalties that were due to them. Stealing from a thief is still stealing, but, from what I have read, the music industry is run by the scum of the earth. The RIAA is proving this by these draconian means.