Letters To The Editor

By:

Posted: 2/12/08

A Warning Against Files Sharing On Campus

In the wake of the Recording Industry Association of America's issuing of pre-settlement letters to UConn students, I feel it is appropriate to share my story of online piracy. During my freshman year (2004) I was enrolled at Boston University. I had been downloading music off the internet for years, even before Napster came along.

When I got to BU, all of a sudden I was connected to a superfast Internet with the ability to trade music with thousands of other kids at different colleges over a high speed Internet 2.0 network. In April 2005, the RIAA announced its first round of lawsuits aimed at college students, I was hardly worried. Everyone downloaded music. But when I opened my mail box one afternoon and found a thick, 200-plus page complaint originating from the RIAA, I felt the color drain from my face. I knew I was in trouble, but I had no idea what was going to happen to me. I immediately called my father and while he was understanding, he knew this was going to cost him money. Eventually, I called the RIAA's lawyers and they offered a settlement of a little under $4,000. After speaking with my father again, we agreed that a lawyer would be just as costly, and digital piracy litigation was relatively new and it would be risky to go to court against the power lawyers the RIAA could certainly afford. Besides, what I was doing was illegal, even if, as I said so many times during that period, everyone was doing it. Fortunately, thankfully, my parents were able to pay off the settlement. I am still working to pay them back the money but I certainly learned a lesson. Just because everyone is doing it doesn't mean its right. When I heard UConn was making Ruckus available to students, I was happy to see the university being proactive about combating illegal downloading. If nothing else, it would prevent kids from getting stuck in a situation like mine.

Now I am able to download most albums on Ruckus for free, and while I can't upload the songs to my iPod, I can decide whether or not the album is worth $9.99 from iTunes. Nearly four years since my run-in with the RIAA I can look back and joke about the incident with my friends. After telling people my story, the most common response is "Are you serious?" followed by "How much did you get sued for?" Even my parents are willing to laugh about it. But for the rest of my life, the period of uncertainty and anxiety following the initial pre-settlement letter will remind me that just because everyone is doing something, doesn't mean it's okay. Honestly, if you continue downloading music, you may not ever get caught - that's just the reality of it. However, I would urge you to take my advice from my experience rather than having to learn the hard way.

- Greg Schrank

8th-semester,

communications major.