MPAA und RIAA gegen Studenten

Der Untergang des Abendlandes beginnt in studentischen Wohnheimen?! RIAA und MPAA haben heute 40 Briefe an die Präsidenten von Universitäten verschickt und damit ihre Propaganda-Kampagne gegen das Tauschen von Kulturgütern in Universitäts-Netzen gestartet. Vermutlich meinen sie damit besonders die Vernetzung von Wohnheimen.

As part of the entertainment industry’s efforts to address the ongoing theft of music and movies online by college students, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) today announced a systematic program to identify and curtail campus Local Area Network („LAN“) piracy at universities across the country.

In der Pressemitteilung finden sich noch Stilblüten wie diese:

The perceived security and privacy of these campus LANs give many students incentive to engage in activity they have otherwise learned is illegal and unacceptable. „We are appreciative of our partners in the university community and all they have done in recent years to tackle the problem of digital piracy at campuses across the country,“ said RIAA President Cary Sherman. „Despite the progress achieved by our collaborative efforts, this remains an ever-evolving problem. We cannot ignore the growing misuse of campus LAN systems or the toll this means of theft is taking on our industry. As we prioritize our focus on campus LAN piracy in the coming year, we hope administrators will take this opportunity to fully evaluate their systems and take action to stop theft by all means.“

Als erstes fordert man nun die Präsidenten der Universitäten auf, Gegenmassnahmen zu treffen, gegen Musiktauscher vorzugehen und die eigenen Netze zu zensieren:

The letters encourage administrators to review the use of their computer networks and, if appropriate, take steps to stop and prevent such theft. Blocking and filtering devices are currently available to help administrators restrict inappropriate use of a campus network.

In dem Brief an die Präsidenten, welche unter der Pressemitteilung angehängt ist, klingt das dann so:

As you are no doubt aware, these issues are critically important to not only us, but to all communities that value the protection of copyright and intellectual property. We look forward to working with you as we continue to pursue a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy on college campuses: promoting educational efforts; working with university administrators on technological solutions and offering legal music and movie services; and when necessary, enforcing our rights as appropriate.