File-Sharing Students Say The Ads Made Them Do It

**Jared Moya** · January 18th, 2006, 10:30 AM

Several students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst who got sued by the RIAA for sharing music over Internet2 are now demanding that the founder and operator of the file-sharing network they used pay the RIAA to settle the cases.

In its standard fashion, the RIAA has told the kids it will settle for payments of $3,750 from each one, and the students think the founder of the i2hub network should pay up -- because they thought that since i2hub advertised on campus, they were allowed to use it to trade copyrighted music, with their lawyers saying that if they'd known it was illegal, they wouldn't have done it.

Yes, these are college students, and it's hard to believe that more than 30 of them could honestly think it was okay to share the files, just because there were some on-campus ads. This sounds so perfectly contrived to say that the company's actions induced the students to share copyrighted works that the cynical among us might think the idea could have originated with the RIAA, with its eye on the Grokster decision.

Read the complete article

**meyou123** · January 18th, 2006, 12:18 PM

That has to be the stupidest excuse for getting caught sharing copyrighted music yet...and by COLLEGE STUDENTS!????? They should havbe known better if they did not. But I do not think that they are as dumb as they claim.

**Burd** · January 18th, 2006, 12:35 PM

Well, I'd have to see the ad. Did it say that the program was for sharing COPYRIGHTED files? Or, did it say that it was merely for file sharing? As we all know, file sharing programs are legal. What is illegal is if you use them to share the wrong type of files. Also, here's a consideration: Internet 2 has far fewer users than the regular Internet. So, shouldn't the "settlements" be adjusted accordingly? They shouldn't be the same as for those caught violating copyright on the regular internet. If somebody would only fight the RIAA, we could get some of these murky areas clarified.

**MorphineInduced** · January 18th, 2006, 06:18 PM

hey isnt that kind of like the thugs for mob bosses for the italians scenario , you know when they do all the killings then when they get caught they fess up for leniancy or to walk free............ thats pretty cowardly.............. and maybe if people started to tell the RIAA ...... um i dont think so.......... if anything file for bankruptsy and then its done with ........ or go find out where there building is and keep burning it down until they go away........... im sorry thats just how i feel about the RIAA ........ but still what a bunch of cowards

**DigitalJunkie** · January 20th, 2006, 02:32 PM

Those kids must have bad lawyers, those kids being sued & try to turn around to sue another company. In the end, they would have to pay more court fees, RIAA and maybe all those lawyers! They have confessed, and without any legal grounds to stand on.

**Uncle Nasty Fingers** · January 21st, 2006, 07:08 PM

I think this is a good example of the students and the lawyers grasping at straws in the hope that with the recent law changes and attention drawn to it, they will somehow get out of it ...

**sebfernando** · January 22nd, 2006, 04:47 AM

nice find soulxtc. I think some UK uni studens got caught aswel and only had to pay £100 max! and that was the for the adminstration fees! :P :P

**Pathtek24** · January 22nd, 2006, 06:21 AM

Wow, so quick to point the finger..I have a hard time believing that 30 "college" students are that nieve

SanDiegoKid · January 22nd, 2006, 09:54 AM

Any of you would say the same thing to get out of a massive fine.

In fact, I'm sure any one of you would wear an ass-less clown suit and do backflips off of a roof while on fire. (probably just for fun, but definately to get out of a fine)

Assholes.

**tsafa1** · January 22nd, 2006, 10:08 PM

What a bunch of traitors. They should be hanged.

**meyou123** · January 23rd, 2006, 02:12 AM

@kleenr....how do you know WHAT we would do? You DON'T, so stop acting like a jackass and quit assuming you know what everyone would do!

**drei** · January 23rd, 2006, 05:27 AM

The excuse isn't stupid when you are defending your case in court. Think about it 'reasonable doubt".

**drei** · January 23rd, 2006, 05:30 AM

Also what gets me is that millins of people from all walks of life downloads tens of millions of files per day from P2P networks. But yet the RIAA sues such a miniscule portion of users. It doesn't make since to me.

**meyou123** · January 23rd, 2006, 05:54 AM

OK....I wil join in and say...THE DEVIL MADE THEM DO IT! There, that should make the judge go more easy on them. And if you believe that I got a nice bridge I want to sell you.......cheap!

**meyou123** · January 23rd, 2006, 05:57 AM

@drej...If you actually believe that "reasonable doubt" is claiming that a website got you to share copyrighted material and you didn't know anything about it....I feel sorry for you!