Music Industry Cracks Down on Colleges

[Auggie]

(02-21) 16:47 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

College students who faced lawsuits for illegally sharing large music collections over campus computer networks increasingly risk being unplugged from the Internet or even suspended over lesser complaints by the recording industry.

In a nationwide crackdown, the music industry is sending thousands more copyright complaints to universities this school year than last. In some cases, students are targeted for allegedly sharing a single mp3 file online.

A few schools — Ohio University and Purdue University are at the top of the list — already have received more than 1,000 complaints accusing individual students since last fall. For students who are caught, punishments can vary from e-mail warnings to semester-long suspensions from classes.

Ohio University said students caught twice sharing music online would face the same disciplinary sanctions as classmates accused of violence or cheating: suspension, probation or an assignment to write a homework paper on the subject. Ohio said no student ever has been caught twice.

more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/21/national/w164702S11.DTL&hw=illegal+downloads&sn=001&sc=1000

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Way to go, Bobcats!