Different Decisions On University File Sharing
from the block-or-teach? dept
While this article about how UCLA is doing with their efforts to stop students from file sharing wanders all over the place, there are a few interesting tidbits. First, the article notes that, while UCLA is trying to block file sharing, USC is taking a more creative approach and offering up an internal file sharing system that will let students remix or loop music via a Creative Commons license. Unfortunately, it doesn't give too many details about this offering, and how it keeps the system from having music the RIAA would prefer not be on there. The other interesting factoid is that, despite UCLA's use of Audible Magic's file identification system (which some have suggested violates wiretap laws) a campus study has shown that most students still prefer to find ways around the tool to download the music they want. In other words, UCLA is spending all this money, annoying some students, and it isn't actually doing much to stop downloads.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
