It seems the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) are still trying lawsuits to stem use of file-sharing.
Note: This is an article I wrote that was published elsewhere first. It has been republished here for archival purposes
While it is highly doubtful at this point that any particular wave will work, not to mention how many question these tactics, it seems that isn’t stopping the RIAA anyway.
In a recent announcement, the RIAA says that it has sent 407 “pre-litigation” letters to 18 universities across the United States.
They include a detailed list of where the lawsuits went: Arizona State University (33 pre-litigation settlement letters), Bowdoin College (11), California State University, Monterey Bay (25), College of William and Mary (15), Duke University (16), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (19), Mount Holyoke College (15), Rhode Island College (22), Saint Mary’s College of Minnesota (13), Stanford University (15), Texas Christian University (14), University of California, Berkeley (26), University of California, Los Angeles (26), University of Connecticut (25), University of Iowa (24), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (22), University of Texas at Austin (50), and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (36).
“The record industry is partnering with a variety of innovative services to offer fans an extraordinary array of musical experiences and generate new business opportunities,” said Jonathan Lamy, Senior Vice President, Communications, RIAA. “College students are among music’s most tech-savvy fans. The latest legal alternatives now come bundled with fan favorites such as social networking features, music videos, and movies. The many alluring legal options currently available are free or deeply discounted and going legal means that students avoid getting in trouble with their university and the law.”
Noticeably missing again seems to be Harvard University. Some who watch these news stories have asked if the RIAA has ever sued anyone in Harvard. This wave of letters indicates that no letters were sent to the law school.
“Bringing lawsuits has never been our first choice,” Lamy added. “But for those who continually ignore enticing legal alternatives and plentiful warnings, it’s a necessary part of the equation.”
Maybe Pandora should have been one of those options.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
