W hile file sharing and piracy are still common in the US, an article published by Kentucky newspaper the Courier-Journal News suggests that Appleis iTMS carrot and the RIAAis lawsuit stick, are having an impact on university campuses. It seems that many of Kentuckyis state colleges and universities are creating and enforcing rules that prohibit students from using school resource to illegally download music.
According to the article, Kentucky state colleges decided to take action after the RIAA filed lawsuits against Kentucky residents, receiving several warnings that illegal downloads were occurring on some college campuses, and finding that downloading can put a serious drain of limited IT resources.
From the article:
Almost all Kentucky colleges, including Morehead State University and the University of Kentucky, yank Internet access from copyright violators. Some, including Morehead State, demand students complete counseling before going back online. Repeated violations can invoke a permanent ban.
Morehead recently imposed charges of up to $200 apiece for student violators to reconnect to the university network, said Jeff Liles, assistant vice president for university marketing.
At Eastern Kentucky University, violators are referred to the student court before campus Internet privileges are returned, said Marc Whitt, a school spokesman. Penalties can range from a reprimand and fine to expulsion. "We had notices of copyright violation in 2003, but none in 2004," Whitt said.
There are additional examples of campuses where fear seems to have slowed file sharing, and other related information, in the very interesting article at the Courier-Journal News.