The number of complaints the university has received about students breaking copyright laws spiked dramatically in September as the recording industry’s campaign against illegal file sharing on college campuses escalated, according to university officials.
The university received 135 complaints in September compared to a total of 120 over the previous eight months, the overwhelming majority of which came from the Record Industry Association of America, according to statistics provided by the Office of Information Technology. And while the number of complaints dropped to 40 in October, it remains considerably higher than the monthly average this year.
“There has absolutely been a spike in the recent complaints,” said Amy Ginther, coordinator for OIT’s Project NEThics. “The spike is attributable to the RIAA.”
The university has taken a number of measures to appease the trade organization – including a revision of its network guidelines that shut down file-sharing hub Direct Connect, commonly known as DC++, last semester – but Ginther said any of the recent complaints could “escalate into a lawsuit.”
She added the university would not defend a student sued by the RIAA because it would conflict with the university’s policy against file sharing, which she said is consistent with the law.
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