Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) President Dan Glickman recently announced the issuance of hundreds of copyright infringement lawsuits against people sharing movie files online. University students now might be sued for sharing not only music, but films as well.
"The reported plans of the film and television industry sound as if they will be following the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) model," OIT senior policy adviser and Digital Millennium Copyright Act agent for the University Rita Saltz said.
The MPAA claims that litigation promotes awareness and education, especially as many violators unknowingly commit infringements.
"If the threat of lawsuits from this new area of the entertainment industry motivates more Princetonians to become aware of the law and the risks an infringer faces, that may produce some changes in behavior," Saltz said.
A member of the Class of 2008 who wished to remain anonymous said, "I found a way to manually take files off others' computers, directly from their hard drives." He admits that such actions hurt the movie industry, since he otherwise would have paid to rent or see the films in theaters.
The student said he would most likely continue to download movies unless he sees evidence that students are being targeted by the MPAA.
The University network contributes the records necessary to make an allegation, including the IP address of the individual illegally distributing feature films.
Saltz said, "The University's network provides roadways, if you will, for packets of information which travel among computers on campus and between computers on campus and others off-campus."
OIT can detect disruptions in information flow, but does not analyze its content.
"The University is not expected to seek infringement proactively. Rather, Princeton is expected to act promptly and effectively when notified of an alleged infringement," Saltz said.
Instead, those who own the copyrights of motion pictures file notices of alleged infringements against a "John Doe." In turn, OIT administrators detect the device associated with the implicated IP address and then identify the person, people or University department responsible for the device.
University Counsel Clayton Marsh '85 is responsible for handling formal litigation brought against violators.
"When the University receives subpoenas, we first determine if they were properly filed and are legally enforceable and then comply with the law, providing whatever specific information is requested," he said.
Last spring, lawsuits were brought against three University students for allegedly misusing file-sharing technologies.
When subpoenaed as the service provider, the University notifies the students to afford them the opportunity to challenge the charges, though Marsh said he saw no basis for challenges in last year's suits.
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