A London-based company has sought the help of schools across the country, including the University, to reduce the pirating of copyrighted music from the Internet.
NetPD informed the University's Department of Information Technology and Communication of about 38 cases of copyright protected materials downloaded on the University's network since last week.
Established last year, NetPD provides protection services to copyright owners whose material is being pirated through the Internet and has identified users who share copyrighted files. The company sends letters of complaint to university officials and others across the United States, asking them to take file sharers off their network. NetPD is able to identify and remove its clients' material from several illegal Web sites, including Imesh, LimeWire, Scour Exchange and the now defunct Napster.
"We are asking for your immediate assistance in stopping this unauthorized activity," an e-mail sent from NetPD to ITC officials said. "Specifically, we request that you remove the site or delete the infringing sound files or that you disable access to this site or the infringing files being offered via your system."
After identifying a student, ITC follows through on allegations by contacting the Office of the Dean of Students. The office then sends an e-mail to the user advising him to erase the material and review the University policy on copyright infringement.
"We can often, but not always, identify the student, faculty or staff responsible for the file sharing," said Robert F. "Chip" German Jr., ITC director of policy and strategic planning.
"We want to inform the University community that this [file sharing] is not a good idea nor is violating copyrights," German said.
Although NetPD has not requested specific user names, file sharers could face legal action from record labels to set an example of the legal implications involving music piracy, he added.
Last September, Howard E. King, the attorney representing Metallica and rap artist Dr. Dre, sent letters to 18 colleges, including the University, urging them to block the use of Napster.
Although University officials said they supported the integrity of copyrights, the University would not limit access to the file sharing service because of the advantages of Napster's chat room discussions, said University attorney Paul J. Forch in a letter to King.
University officials, however, did implement a mandatory orientation to educate students and deter copyright infringements.
"We see these steps as embodying everything we ought to do within reason and good faith to respond to [King's] concern and to the challenge of this new technology, while at the same time respecting speech activity that does not infringe copyrights," Forch wrote.
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