Delwin Olivan '08 might be luckier than the other 23 University students charged with music piracy by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last spring — his friends created a website and t-shirt line to defray the cost of his settlement.
Olivan stands accused of distributing songs via the file-sharing network i2hub, which closed in November following a cease and desist letter from the RIAA.
"When the three-inch-thick outline of the court case against me arrived in the mail, I realized I really had no choice but to settle," Olivan said.
An RIAA representative phoned Olivan on November 5, and told him to settle the case for $5,000 within 60 days or face far greater claims in court.
"These guys want $5,000 from him, and I get choked up thinking about it," roommate Sean Gleason '08 said. "His bank account doesn't have $5,000. He's not an old money Princeton student who gets a $5,000 monthly allowance."
Olivan and Gleason devised a novel way to lessen the financial burden on Olivan's mother — the Free Delwin Fund.
James Hamm '08, a friend down the hall, registered the domain name freedelwin.org. Gleason designed the website. Olivan posed for t-shirts. The roommates then proceeded to flyer Forbes.
"During Fall Break, we worked morning to night," Olivan said.
The Free Delwin site opens with a "manifesto," a tongue-in-cheek introduction to Olivan and his legal woes.
"Thanks to The Eagles, Tracy Chapman and Sting, Delwin now cries whenever he thinks of music," the statement reads. "But what exactly was his crime? Philanthropy. The key to avoiding a subpoena like the one Del is facing is to refrain from sharing, and he knew this."
Olivan does not plead innocence, only financial need.
"Clearly, on the website I don't deny file sharing," he said.
Sympathizers can donate directly to the Free Delwin Fund or pay $10 for a Free Delwin t-shirt. The shirts bear a likeness of Olivan akin to the iconic visage of Argentinian-born revolutionary Che Guevara.
"Delwin has the potential to dominate the world, to be dictator of not one, but two countries simultaneously," Gleason joked.
Supporters have bought more than 50 shirts so far, Olivan said.
He and Gleason plan to sell shirts to their friends at home over Winter Break; many have already pledged their solidarity with the Delwin cause.
"The money is all going to the RIAA. We set up separate PayPal accounts for students who have PayPal accounts and students who donate through PayPal with credit or debit cards. We keep cash donations locked in a box. It's completely legitimate," Gleason said.
Olivan and Gleason said donations and student interest have exceeded their expectations; they will probably order a second batch of t-shirts. Still, they doubt Free Delwin will raise enough money to fully cover Olivan's $5,000 settlement.
The roommates readily acknowledge that people might deem their fund frivolous.
"We're not saying this is like Save the Whales," Gleason said. "It's fun. We hope the website gets people to smile, to maybe donate a few bucks, to post on the message board.
"How many people have really never shared music? Delwin was just one of the unlucky ones who got caught."
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