RIAA Plays the Heavy as U.S. University Students Settle Music Piracy Suits

Four university students have settled music piracy claims that were filed against them by the Recording Industry Association of America Inc. (RIAA). The students were accused and prosecuted separately for copyright violations as a result of operating Napster-like music file sharing services on their universities' network servers.

Two students from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York reached settlement agreements of $12,000 US and $17,000 US each, while one student from Princeton University and one from Michigan Technological University settled with the RIAA for $15,000 US each. The four students will make annual installment payments to the RIAA beginning this year through 2006 and will disable the Web sites that enabled other campus network users to download and access the music files posted there.

Initially the RIAA had filed claims for damages actions against each of the students for damages equal to $150,000 per downloaded piece of music. The claims were filed with the intention of sending a message to music file swappers that the RIAA will aggressively pursue even noncommercial, private file sharing of music that is copyrighted.

As a result of the RIAA action against the students, many universities have disabled network music servers and have pledged to ensure that its students are not posting copyrighted music files on university networks and university property. Since the RIAA action was filed against the four students, at least 18 other campus file-sharing services have been taken down without action by the RIAA.

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