Editorial: Download with caution

In a letter released two weeks ago, the Recording Industry Association of America threatened to target students at universities across the country who have downloaded a "substantial amont" of files illegally, and sue them up to $150,000 per song. Essentially, this means that the RIAA could target a majority of students at Duke, and that most of individuals thesewould be liable for damages.

 The threat posed by the RIAA should not be taken lightly by members of the Duke community--students, professors and employees alike. RIAA officials have already issued over 1,145 subpoenas, some of which were directed to students at UCLA, Berkeley and MIT. From the RIAA's perspective, illegal file-sharing detracts greatly from their revenue and sales, and interferes with their ability to market music products.

 While downloading a few songs may be no big deal to the average person, thousands of people downloading songs is a big deal to music companies.

 The principal dilemma facing the RIAA is the decentralized nature of the file-sharing process. File-sharing individuals at both ends of the spectrum, those who upload files and those who download them, can do so from anywhere in the world. For the music industry to halt the practice of illegal downloading, they must necessarily attack the problem at its most visible and prolific source--college campuses.

 Countless mp3s and other files are circulated around campus computers and networks every day. The high-speed connections and ease of Internet navigation on campus make file-sharing fast and painless. However, students must begin to carefully reevaluate their downloading practices. If students download files, they will be forced to pay for the copyright laws they have broken. The smartest move for students is to stop illegal downloading completely, and to do so immediately. OIT has been as cooperative as possible with students concerning downloading practices. The RIAA has asked that the University monitor student downloads and person-to-person file transfers, but much to their credit, OIT officials have refused on the grounds that monitoring would be an invasion of people's privacy. Yet, students should take heed of the fact that OIT may eventually be forced to give up the IP addresses of downloaders, and if the RIAA presses its cases, the University will not be able to offer students much in the way of legal support.

 While the targeting of college students by the RIAA is a daunting proposition, the organization is within its rights, and many students are guilty of procuring illegal files. However, college students are not solely responsible for the phenomenon of file-downloading/sharing. With this in mind, students should not be disproportionally targeted for law-suits. Everyone who has downloaded illegally is liable, and should be punished equally. Ultimately, members of the University community should realize that their actions are illegal, and stop illegal downloading entirely.