RIAA Gets Tennessee Law To Force Universities To Filter Networks For Copyrighted Content

from the the-riaa-never-sleeps dept

Tue, Nov 18th 2008 2:44pm — Mike Masnick

After more than a decade of watching the entertainment industry (mainly the RIAA and the MPAA), one thing I've learned is that the organization never gives up in pushing its legislative agenda. If there's a setback in one area, you can be sure that others from the organization are eagerly pushing the exact same rules through some other angle. The typical MO is that they try to get federal legislation passed in their favor. However, if that fails, they switch to the fallback plans which involve international treaties and state laws. Both of these are great because they tend to get a lot less scrutiny. State laws are a bit of a pain, because you have to get a few of them approved to create the "groundswell" that makes other states jump on board, but changes to state laws can often pass through under the radar.

That appears to be what's happening in the effort to force universities to install filters monitoring their networks for any unauthorized transmissions. You may recall that the RIAA pushed strongly to get Congress to pass laws requiring filters. Basically, the entertainment industry first flat-out lied (yes, lied) about how big a problem file sharing on campus was, and that got some Congressional Reps (with plenty of campaign contributions from the entertainment industry) to introduce legislation punishing universities if they didn't filter their networks. Widespread outcry against that legislation helped water it down, but it appears the industry just moved on to state legislatures.

The RIAA is now celebrating the fact that Tennessee has passed legislation that requires universities to install filters if they've received at least 50 DMCA requests. Considering the massive number of DMCA notices that the RIAA has been known to file, this is hardly a large hurdle. The law will cost Tennessee taxpayers nearly $10 million in the first year, and another $1.5 million each year -- based on the state's own estimates. And for what? To put in filters that won't work, just to try to prop up an obsolete business model from legacy players in an industry that needs to learn how to adapt to the market?

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Filed Under: copyright, filtering, tennessee, universities
Companies: mpaa, riaa

30 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 3:38pm

do they get to turn the filters off for ever 50 counternotices filed?
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 4:00pm

Re:
if so those filters will go up and down more than a yo-yo
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KD, 18 Nov 2008 @ 4:36pm

The only solution ...
The only solution to this problem is to eliminate copyrights. Not easy, I agree, but nothing less will stop the nonsense.
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Relonar, 18 Nov 2008 @ 4:36pm

ssh tunneling / sftp :: problem solved (on pirate side)

for everyone else...oh right they get screwed as usual
bad laws get passed
innocents get sued/expelled/bankrupted
universities pay for upkeep and installation of filters
network expansion is restricted by the use of such filters
riaa still doesn't make more from sales
riaa still doesn't 'lose' less from piracy
piracy doesn't go down
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 4:49pm

RIAA = Real Ignorant Assholes of America!
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 4:50pm

http://azureus.sourceforge.net/
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eleete, 18 Nov 2008 @ 4:57pm

Re:
Attacking the act of 'sharing' takes quite a bit of arrogance. I suggest.

Real Ignorant Arrogant Assholes

; )
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TPBer, 18 Nov 2008 @ 5:40pm

Wow
Just go off campus to a friends house with cable and this will really be effective.

Remember to always use PeerGuardian and DL away.
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Stu Dent, 18 Nov 2008 @ 6:37pm

Easy to fix
Instead of squandering tax payer moneys on worthless pursuits, the state of Tennessee and others should pass a law stating that all state funded schools shall not provide on campus network connectivity. Each student can get their own connection as they see fit. End of problem.
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Adam, 18 Nov 2008 @ 6:49pm

This is fucking sick. They should at least finance this. Why should be public money spent of protecting corporate business? Oh wait, never mind... This is United Corporations of America, I almost forgot for a moment that "people" and "public" don't matter in this country:((
A.
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Crysm, 18 Nov 2008 @ 7:10pm

What's worse is that the University of Tennessee (the most likely target of this law) is already suffering pretty badly from budget cuts. They cut an entire department this year; they can't afford to do stupid pointless things like this.

At least I'm finally off their networks; good grief.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 7:21pm

Re:
FOR THE PEOPLE, NOT THE CORPORATIONS!
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 7:26pm

Hey idiots what is Nashville's nickname? Figure it out. Total music revenue for Nashville was 2.6 billion in 2006.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 7:51pm

Re:
"Hey idiots what is Nashville's nickname? Figure it out. Total music revenue for Nashville was 2.6 billion in 2006."

Oh - ok.
It all makes so much more sense now. Thank you.
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JR, 18 Nov 2008 @ 8:10pm

RIAA
In your article you use the phrase "legislative agenda." You don't state what that is, or what YOUR version of it is. How can I compare your argument to theirs?

JR
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Michael Beck, 18 Nov 2008 @ 8:16pm

Tennessee
I live in Tennessee.. I don't go to a university.. but I am appalled at this! Who wrote this bill? I want to vote them out ASAP!
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JR, 18 Nov 2008 @ 8:16pm

$10 mil ?
Any chance you can explain why it costs 10mil to install software, filters?
If you use figures in your argument, you might be able to explain them, or tell us were you saw these numbers. What government source?

JR
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Mike (profile), 18 Nov 2008 @ 8:33pm

Re: $10 mil ?
Any chance you can explain why it costs 10mil to install software, filters?

http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/info/Leg_Archives/105GA/bills/FiscalNotes/SB3974.pdf
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Nov 2008 @ 8:53pm

Just shows how STUPID the RIAA is, They need to be wiped off the face of the Earth
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tennessee student, 19 Nov 2008 @ 5:08am

details
not sure why this is just now getting attention. i've been blocked since august. here are the details utk has on its site

http://oit.utk.edu/copyright/blocked/
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MrBeck, 19 Nov 2008 @ 5:45am

Tax CDs
By far the easiest way to deal with this is to add a TN tax on CDs of say $.10 per CD to pay for the filters. I'm sure the music sellers wouldn't want to take a free ride on the TN population and after all it's they who benefit.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2008 @ 5:50am

Re: Re:
Wow, your sarcasm just showcases your arrogant ignorance.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2008 @ 5:58am

Re: Tennessee
I live in Tennessee.. I don't go to a university.. but I am appalled at this!

Fun fact: you're the one paying for this.

Also: it doesn't matter, really, who wrote it. Find out who voted for it and campaign to have them removed in the next round of elections.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 19 Nov 2008 @ 6:09am

Re: RIAA
If you do not know what their agenda is by now, you must have been living under a rock for the last 10 years.
Please google 'RIAA' and it is all over the net how much they hate their customers. They are driven by one thing and one thing only, money. And they will extract it any way they possibly can. Including getting legislators at any level to pass laws where it sues public funds to enforce their private agenda.
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dkp, 19 Nov 2008 @ 8:29am

Re:
tell them if they want t they pay for it.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 19 Nov 2008 @ 10:25am

Re: Re: RIAA (typo)
That should say "uses" and not "sues" in the last line there.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2008 @ 1:48pm

Re: Tennessee
RIAA Chairman & CEO Mitch Bainwol, along with several other members of the music community, recently celebrated Country Music Association Day in Nashville by participating in a ceremonial signing of college campus anti-piracy legislation by Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen.

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9845/Tennessee+Governor+Signs+Campus+Piracy+Bill+into+Law/
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Nov 2008 @ 4:34pm

One thing that might help limit legislation is for the sons and daughters of Government officials to be outed. Then the RIAA would have to explain why they are doing selective enforcement. Image the closing arguments at a jury trial where the defense explains how RIAA only goes after people that are not part of the Goverment that passes the laws they and their families do not have to obey.
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dan tynan, 20 Nov 2008 @ 9:29am

RIAA, death and taxes - what they all have in common
Good story.

Our tax dollars are not only saving billionaire bankers from their own bad habits, they're also helping to bail out the recording industry. Does the RIAA really truly need our help? I don't think so.

More here: http://blogs.computerworld.com/riaa_tax

cheers,

dt
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Nov 2008 @ 12:57pm

who said internet censoring in china was bad for democracy? what is good for china is good for the world!
-every file on internet is legal, or isn't it?
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