By Dasia Robinson, Guest Writer
CHAPEL HILL— “I have an iTunes problem,” Gina Degraphenreid said. “My iTunes bill last month was $140.”
Degraphenreid, 21, is a junior economics major and a self-proclaimed music addict.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) caught Degraphenried downloading files.
RIAA is the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of major music companies, according to its website.
In summer 2009, Degraphenreid illegally downloaded the movie “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” and several music albums through a BitTorrent file-sharing system.
A BitTorrent file-sharing system allows files to be downloaded quickly because users who are downloading the file upload the same file simultaneously, according to the BitTorrent website.
Using this type of system is the best way to download files, but it is also the easiest way to caught by the RIAA.
“I just felt dumb,” Degraphenreid said. “I was worried they were actually going to take me to court and fine me hundreds of thousands of dollars for downloading.”
Degraphenreid’s fear of legal action was not without cause. According to the 2005 RIAA commercial piracy report, more than 3,000 people were indicted or arrested for musical copyright infringement in the U.S. that year.
Every year, globally the music industry loses $12.5 billion due to illegal file-sharing, according to RIAA, which estimates that 3.6 billion songs are illegally downloaded each month.
RIAA is working to protect the intellectual property and First Amendment rights of artists and music labels.
Through a partnership with major Internet Service Providers (ISPs), RIAA is able to track down people who download music illegally.
RIAA sends a warning letter to the individuals who are caught.
“I received a letter from our cable service provider that said they had been notified by the RIAA that I had been illegally downloading,” Degraphenreid said. “It also said if I got caught again, they would fine me and disconnect the cable services.”
At UNC-Chapel Hill, the penalties are also severe. The University’s Internet Security Office (ISO) enforces these penalties on campus.
ISO is the division of Internet Technology Services (ITS) that is responsible for coordinating and ensuring information security across the University, according to the ISO website.
Stan Waddell is executive director of ISO. “Illegal file-sharing cases are typically handled before they are escalated to court,” Waddell said. “The University imposes serious sanctions on violators.”
If a student is caught illegally downloading at the University, the first-offense punishment includes immediate, but temporary, loss of internet privileges and a required meeting with ITS administrators.
“[The University] mandates the removal of the illegal content as well as educating students on some appropriate and legal ways to gain access to media,” Waddell said.
Punishments increase in severity with additional offenses.
Illegal file-sharing is a crime. Because of this, ISO declined to answer how widespread illegal file-sharing is at UNC-CH to preserve the image of the University.
During an informal interview in Davis Library, 12 out of 15 students admitted to illegally downloading music. Two of the three students who did not download music illegally said they wanted to.
Illegal downloading is a big issue on college campuses.
In an effort to end illegal downloading on campuses, RIAA has begun to do outreach programs at universities to inform college students about illegal file-sharing.
The ITS website provides a list of legal ways to download and listen to music. Legal music sites include iTunes, MP3.com, Rhapsody, etc.
Illegally downloading files seems to be becoming more popular because it is free and convenient.
“I’m cheap and they’re expensive,” Degraphenreid said. “I don’t want to pay for a whole CD when I only like one song.”
According to MusicUnited.org, illegally downloading music “betrays the songwriters and recording artists who create it.”
“The music I download is music I really enjoy and I want to support the musicians who are producing it,” said Kelly Knapp, 21, a junior double majoring in public policy and women’s studies. “Regardless of the price, this is their livelihood and if I don’t pay for my music, I’m stealing from them.”
Illegally downloading music is copyright infringement.
Copyright is “a set of exclusive rights granted by the government to regulate the use of a particular expression of an idea or information,” said Dean Smith, a graduate student who teaches media law in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “It is literally ‘the right to copy’ an original creation.”
“Illegal file-sharing is a serious violation,” Waddell said. It is important that individuals understand the risks associated with illegally downloading copyrighted content.”
