Penn State is apparently cracking down harder on student peer-to-peer online file swapping " and perhaps threateningly so, if a memo from the university's provost to one student is any indication.
"The bottom line," wrote Penn State vice provost Rodney A. Erickson "on behalf of" the university provost, "is that there is a potentially high price to pay for an > > illegally copied computer program, movie, or recording. Stealing is stealing and against the law, regardless of how you try to justify it."
Obtained by politech-bot.com, the message and discussion Website hosted by Internet journalist Declan McCullagh, the March 31 memo all but threatened to punish P2P violators and bring in the law over it.
"While you may be tempted not to read this email, I suggest that you do so in order to better understand just what the risks and penalties are for violating the law," the memo began. "In recent years, high-speed computer networks and personal computers have made it easy to copy computer programs, movies, and recordings. Most of this material is copyrighted, which means the right to make copies is restricted. Making copies of any copyrighted material without the right to do so is against both state and federal law and University policy. Most people who make illegal copies know it is wrong, but are unaware of how severe the penalties can be."
American copyright law now makes it possible to fine you up to $250,000 and imprison you for up to ten years if you're caught copying over $1,000 worth of material without formal approval, a provision cited by the memo. The memo also noted a North Carolina student spending 41 months behind bars for similar copyright infringement. "Messing up your future," the memo said, "is a steep price to pay for music or a video."
And the memo rolled out the pressure barrel, saying the software, recording, and movie industries "are stepping up their enforcement" of copyright laws " as though Penn State and other students were entirely unaware of the Record Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America's heavy lobbying for tougher enforcement against P2P file swapping.
"They are using computer technology to detect those who run servers or simply download something they have no right to possess," the Penn State provost memo continued. "The likelihood of being caught is growing every day, and prosecutions will become more frequent."
And the university will be only too happy to help those prosecutions if they catch students P2Ping, not only blocking a student's network access but referring the student to the university Office of Judicial Affairs and campus workers to the office of Human Resources. The memo didn't say anything about it explicitly, but nothing would stop the university, seemingly, from calling in law enforcement in such cases.
"Why? Because it is illegal and against University policy to infringe on someone's copyright," the memo said. "A student can be expelled and an employee terminated under University policy."
