Different Decisions On University File Sharing

Culture

from the block-or-teach? dept

While this article about how UCLA is doing with their efforts to stop students from file sharing wanders all over the place, there are a few interesting tidbits. First, the article notes that, while UCLA is trying to block file sharing, USC is taking a more creative approach and offering up an internal file sharing system that will let students remix or loop music via a Creative Commons license. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give too many details about this offering, and how it keeps the system from having music the RIAA would prefer not be on there. The other interesting factoid is that, despite UCLA’s use of Audible Magic’s file identification system (which some have suggested violates wiretap laws) a campus study has shown that most students still prefer to find ways around the tool to download the music they want. In other words, UCLA is spending all this money, annoying some students, and it isn’t actually doing much to stop downloads.