IU officials have worked to eliminate illegal file sharing

Many colleges have not yet adopted official policies to help prevent illegal file sharing on their networks, the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities reported Friday. \nThis statement, reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education Tuesday, comes after the Recording Industry Association of America announced last Wednesday it would file charges against 89 students connected to university networks, including five at IU. While it was not specifically mentioned by the report, IU does have an official file-sharing policy. The Web site www.filesharing.iu.edu details IU policies as well as provides information on copyright laws and legal file downloading. \nChief Information Technology Security and Policy Officer Mark Bruhn said IU devotes many resources to help educate students about illegal file sharing and copyright infringement.\n"We expend a good deal of effort to ensure IU students understand the issues and the consequences," he said.\nIU works in a variety of ways to curtail illegal file sharing. University Information Technology Services posts informational flyers and posters across campus and in dorms and computer labs where students are connected to the IU network. \nAll "cable bags," which are required for students to connect their personal computers to the IU network, include a flyer reminding the student that, by connecting to the IU network, they agree not to infringe on copyright laws. Also, when students connect to the IU network, they must register their computer and sign an online registration form which states: "I will not share copyrighted music, movies, and other media files if I do not have permission from the copyright owner."\nBruhn said because of these efforts and the extensive media coverage the issue receives, he thinks there are few students who don't understand the impacts of illegal file sharing.\nFreshman Stacy Lambert said she has been aware of IU's policy since before she came to the school.\n"I knew there was a policy on downloading at the University because they told us at orientation," she said.\nBut IU's position has not yet reached everyone. Freshman Allison Chandler, despite living on campus, said she had not yet heard IU has an official stance on file swapping.\nDespite these efforts to limit illegal file sharing on the IU network, Bruhn said he was not alarmed that IU students were named in the RIAA's latest lawsuits because so many students use the IU network, including 15,000 students who live on campus and use it as their primary Internet Service Provider.\n"Certainly, it isn't a surprise that some (IU) students are downloading and sharing large numbers of files," he said. "It isn't a surprise that these users eventually appeared on a list generated by the RIAA."\n-- Contact staff writer Michael Zennie at mzennie@indiana.edu.