Downloading not encouraged at USU
The university does not discourage downloading and uploading music, game and movie files, unless it’s against the law.
Bob Bayn, associate director for Network and Computing Services, said the rules at Utah State Univeristy are “basically the rules that apply to all copyright situations,” concerning downloading and uploading music, games and movie files.
The creators of artistic work have the right to control how their art is being distributed and most creators want a payment, he said.
“The law protects their decision,” Bayn said. “If you don’t pay for it, you have no legal right to have it, and the owner has a legal right to sue you for violating their terms. We can only alert our users to the situation and encourage users to do the right thing.”
Bayn said some students in on-campus housing have a non-routed Internet protocol address. He said students who choose to share files with the non-routed IP address take deliberate steps and “make a clear case against the user for the copyright violation.”
He said when Network and Computer Services receives an official complaint they disconnect the student’s Internet service. To reconnect, the student must pay a fine. The complaints come from the copyright enforcement (watchdogs) from the Recording Industry Association of America, Motion Picture Association of America and other companies.
“When a copyright watchdog detects and reports a violation, we are required under the law to take certain action, which we do,” Bayn said.
Students living in campus housing can share files most easily because they use the same computer and files add up, Bayn said. Watchdogs are more interested in a person sharing files to others than downloading them, he said.
Hongkee Kim, a junior majoring in computer science, said he saw the policy at the Help Desk. Kim said he was planning to download until he saw the posting.
Kim said even though he knows it is against the law to download, it is free. Morgan Douglas, a freshman majoring in biology veterinary, said if people can get to the files it’s not hurting anyone.
“Music stars make enough money to not be affected by downloading,” Douglas said.
She said sharing files should not be against copyright laws. Even if the RIAA would lower prices of music compact discs, Douglas said she would still want to download music but she is “not a good person to ask about [file sharing].”
Bayn said when students get an e-mail account or receive a dorm IP address they agree not to break the copyright protection of another person’s work.
The e-mail agreement, found at www.usu.edu/comserv/newuser.html, states, “You should not acquire or distribute [copyright material] without complying with the owner’s licensing terms. You may not operate on the campus network any server that provides any files for which you do not have authorization.”
Barbara White, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer, said students have been supportive with the university’s policies and it is important for students and faculty to “all work together.”
“This is not something that Network and Computing Services are interested in or Housing alone,” White said. “This is a campuswide issue and one we’re all sensitive to it.”
White said it is an issue of copyright violation. She said President Kermit L. Hall asks her on a regular basis how the progress is complying with the law about copyright and security issues.
The latest version of the Student Code talks about appropriate use for students, White said. She said it was adapted because it is important for students to know they have a responsibility.
Bayn said they have not had any complaints from watchdogs since April.
“The combination of warnings and non-routed addressing seems to have reduced this problem at USU,” he said.
-srkrebs@cc.usu.edu