IU leads pack in combatting illegal downloads, report says

IU is a leader among colleges and universities in combating illegal downloading, according to a new report being presented to the U.S. House of Representatives. An online file-sharing tutorial and quiz IU added last year to educate students about copyright laws are receiving praise from entertainment industry insiders who helped compile the study. \nMary Beth Lavagnino, deputy Information Technology policy officer at IU, credits the programs for the drop in copyright violation notices the music industry sent to IU last year. \nFrom 2002 to 2003, IU received 1,080 notices of illegal file-sharing on its servers. Last year, the number dropped more than 50 percent to 483. The record and movie industries regularly monitor the Internet for illegal downloading and send notices of violations to universities across the country. \nAt IU, students named in a notice for the first time must pass an online quiz and agree to delete the questionable files or face having their network access shut off. For the second and third offenses, Internet access is automatically denied and the student's name is submitted to the dean of students. \nIU was notified of 41 repeat offenders last year.\nLavagnino said second offenses fell after the tutorial was implemented, meaning more students are getting the message. \nOther schools have taken more dramatic steps to curb campus piracy. The University of Florida banned all file sharing on its network last year, using a program called ICARUS. Others have signed deals with paid downloading services like the new Napster and RealNetworks to offer their students streaming audio and music downloads. \nIn the Big Ten, Purdue has a deal in place with the subscription service Ctrax to offer legal music downloads to all students. \nLast year, different IU groups considered bringing an agreement here, said Lavagnino. IT Policy Office Chair Mark Bruhn presented the plan as an option at a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting last fall, and student affairs also discussed the possibility. But the plan has been shelved for now.\n"It was clear because of the athletic fee that this was not a good time," Lavagnino said. \nLavagnino added students should choose for themselves the service they want to use. Each downloading program is unique. Different programs offer different catalogues, and the ways to access music range from streaming audio to CD burns to MP3 player downloads. \n"Instead of picking one service for IU as a whole, we want to give them the choice," she said.\nLater this fall, IU will announce it has invited subscription downloading services, such as Rhapsody, Napster and iTunes, to campus for a legal downloading fair. The date and location of the fair have not been determined, but it will be called "Digital Karma."\n"We really felt we would like to try giving the option to students where you can participate or not, and choose which one," Lavagnino said.\nShe said IU hasn't ruled out providing a single service to all students.\n"It's not to say we won't in the future, but at this point, this seemed like the most logical way," Lavagnino said. "(The fair) might help us understand what students want."\nShe said the legal downloading industry is young, and new options are being created all the time. Lavagnino said she hopes the fair will clarify the choices available.\nThe report naming IU was issued to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. The subcommittee is planning a national hearing on file sharing. \n-- Contact staff writer Adam VanOsdol at avanasdo@indiana.edu.