digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

U of Nebraska to RIAA: here's a bill for the time you're wasting

boingboing.net — The University of Nebraska is so pissed off with the RIAA's outrageous requests to help rat out students who file-share that it has sent the RIAA a bill for the time the University has wasted dealing with the RIAA's demands. Go Corn Huskers!

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • implied, on 11/03/2007, -11/+197Where can I send my bill to the RIAA for wasting my time by reading all these news articles about their ridiculous tactics?
    • SlackerCSB, on 10/12/2007, -9/+153You would have just wasted the time fighting over whether the Wii or the PS3 was cooler. Just let it go...
    • Poppeseed, on 11/03/2007, -1/+106After living in Nebraska all my life, I'm not really surprised UNL responded like this. Proud to be a Nebraskan today.
    • RoshanK, on 11/03/2007, -2/+35sorry about the comment abuse but here's the direct link to the original article:
      http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070320/171228.shtml
    • affanjam, on 10/12/2007, -26/+84***** THE RIAA!
    • asif5th, on 10/12/2007, -0/+46I can only hope more organizations start doing this.
    • onidraky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I'm glad some are standing up to them, but I'm afraid if this ever makes it to Southern Illinois University, where I am, they won't respond so well. Makes me wish I went to school in Nebraska.
    • eonblue, on 10/12/2007, -20/+3WOWSA

      You people need to RTFA seriously.
      "If there were any doubt that the university is really irritated by the RIAA's requests, it has requested that the RIAA pay the university to reimburse its expenses from dealing with this."
      That is totally different then for isntance sueing somone because you read their spam mail and hence they wasted your time.[edit] Then again after re-reading it, I find it somewhat ambiguous, as to what its refering to. meh again [/edit]

      And for the cost of retaining records vs the potential prosecution fodder that they could get by keeping them (espeically if they had direct access to them) if I were the RIAA (and I were completly insane and evil) I would offer to pay under that stipulation.

      Now if I were a nebraskan university student I would be looking for places my credits transfered if they did that, so meh.

    • RckmRobot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4More link abuse, but here is the original original article on the matter:

      http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=2348353
    • cklol, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19I just pasted that article all over the dorms of UNL (I'm a student here).
      ***** THE RIAA!
      And here's the schools newspaper article about the new RIAA request:
      http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/03/22/News/Riaa-Sends.Additional.Letters.To.23.Universities-2786060.shtml
    • definiteform, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Nevermind, RckmRobot got it. I would hope that every university would do this; it's not their job to investigate. If the RIAA wants them to, they should be reimbursed.
    • ArchonSG, on 11/03/2007, -0/+10From the follow-up links here's the RIAA's response :
      "
      To make matters worse, the university wants to be reimbursed $11 for each warning letter it processes.
      "We're spending taxpayer dollars tracking down RIAA problems," Weir said. "Are we an agent of the RIAA? Why aren't they paying us for this?"
      That request was rebuked by the RIAA.
      "It is neither practical nor appropriate for us to entertain a reimbursement request," said Engebretsen.

      Wonder how UNL will respond to that. Can they sue the RIAA for failure to pay for services rendered?
    • phatkid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1SlackerCSB : Best Comment ever !
    • marequi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Go Huskers!!
  • drlha, on 10/12/2007, -1/+71It is really starting to feel like the tide is turning against the RIAA recently. This must mean some obnoxious law is about to be passed that'll set everything back for years and have us sent to jail for life for humming a song in public. Not that I'm pessimistic!
    • Fhwqhgads, on 11/03/2007, -0/+8Now don't be giving those ***** any ideas!
    • fcekuahd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yeah, the RIAA is really going to damage the large recording labels. These tactics aren't improving CD sales, and they're generating an enormous amount of hostility toward the music industry.
  • airwalkery2k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+40Yeah. The IT people here are extremely angry about all the work they have to do. They have track the IP to the student and make sure they have enough evidence to link the complaint to that person. Meanwhile all the RIAA did was send them a list of numbers in the mail.
    • fcekuahd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0How does the RIAA have the authority do do this? Did they get a court order?
  • Ubernero, on 10/12/2007, -7/+13Stick it to teh man ya corn huskers.
  • AngelBunny, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17That is awesome!
    It looks like everyone and their grandmother is against the RIAA today.


    I'm curious, is anyone actually for the RIAA?
    • mrosson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13@angelbunny

      The only people for the RIAA are those who have a vested interest in keeping the system the way it is, as far as I'm concerned. But no one else really has the power to stand up to their tactics, except for the exceptional IT department that gets fed up.

      Also, as a University of Nebraska student, I can attest to the fact that IP addresses are dynamic, making it a major pain for IT to identify anyone. However, I am required to register my MAC address to get access to the wireless network.
    • nullcodes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+57@angelbunny
      "It looks like everyone and their grandmother is against the RIAA today."

      Well yes, because they sued her.

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3140160.stm
    • EndersGame, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Today? I have woken up every morning and yelled out "***** THE RIAA" to start off my day ever since Hilary Rosen was still running the show. The RIAA has always been garbage.
    • rnwen2750, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4I will be tarred and feathered for this, but, while I do not support the tactics used by the RIAA, they do have the right to charge whatever they please for the service they provide. What they offer is not vital to our survival, so I do not really have a problem with $20 cds. I just do not buy copious amounts of them. I use moderation and older cds instead.
    • DavidDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5The RIAA is abusing the law, and very badly at that. Copyright law NEVER intended or even foresaw this kind of deviant behavior on the part large organizations against individuals. CDs are expensive, but no one is seriously suggesting that the high cost of CDs is a problem. The problem is extortionist tactics, period.
    • rnwen2750, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"The RIAA is abusing the law, and very badly at that. Copyright law NEVER intended or even foresaw this kind of deviant behavior on the part large organizations against individuals. CDs are expensive, but no one is seriously suggesting that the high cost of CDs is a problem. The problem is extortionist tactics, period."

      Funny, I did not realize laws could "foresee" anything. I am not arguing for the tactics the RIAA is using. I do not know enough about law to make a reasonable conclusion about the legality of their tactics (funny, I seem to be one of the few to admit that here). However, my point is that, regardless of their tactics, regardless of this current situation, the RIAA would leave citizens alone if they simply were NOT outright stealing. That is what my previous comment was about. It is ridiculous how much everyone bitches and moans about being caught at doing something illegal. If you want to get your message across, do not give them more fodder by stealing from them, boycott them. Write to the artists they employ. Support independent music. But stealing from someone is not going to make them any more sympathetic or willing to listen to your points (even though they may be valid).
    • Snoius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@mrosson

      You don't really have to register it... You can just scan the network for MAC addresses and use those... that way your free and clear to do as you please. I currently have a database of 3,000 mac addresses.
  • djbelieve, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Not too much information on the actual bill.

    Edit: xintelinsanex beat me to it.
  • D34DC311, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6LOL, Hell yea.
    and I've had people tell me that the RIAA isnt falling apart.
  • ChewyBass, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I think we should all send the RIAA a bill or a lawsuit. They have been shown to file such frivolous lawsuits that I now sit in fear that they will mistakenly sue me for doing something I don't. Oops, got to go, Utorrent just finished another download I have to burn to CD.
  • Franey97, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Good for them, I hope other schools jump on the bandwagon, mine included.
  • crazybrit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Awesome. It's about time someone stood up to those pricks.
  • adml_shake, on 10/12/2007, -1/+82Dear RIAA:

    In response to your letter of complaint and request for information about possible students at our school who might have been downloading your music illegally, we are sorry to inform you that we have recently discovered a unsecured wireless access point that covered a one square mile area and at this time we have no way of tracking or disclosing anyone who might have had access to it.

    Best regards,
    University of Nebraska IT Department




    P.S. ***** off.
    • RobertPatrick, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1More like :
      THIS IS NEBRASKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !
  • slapsack, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12I always liked corn...
  • Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -24/+18Wow, take power away from the Republicans and the world starts to become a lot more sane. It's like trickle-down morality or something.
    • kunnavang, on 10/12/2007, -1/+262 out of 3 Nebraskans are Republicans.
    • cklol, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Yeah, I'm a student at UNL (not for long, moving to Portland) and this is 100% true. I can't believe UNL is being so anti RIAA though, ***** badass! Go Mike! (Huskernet admin)
    • pabster, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20@urusai

      This isn't about Democrat or Republican.

      I'm a staunch Republican yet I despise the RIAA.
    • omgbanana, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10@urusai

      You political assholes really piss me off. I want to rip out every ugly political billboard littering my campus and throw them all in the trash.

      I'm goddamn tired of everything being some political debate. I want to be left alone, read the platforms of candidates in September, and then vote for my choice in November.

      So please, ***** right off with your snide remarks. You're not witty. You're not intelligent. You're not "informed" or even important. You're just ***** annoying.
  • thatsbologna, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2finally somebody ***** the riaa...no more ***** the riaas!
  • johnnydepp13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3right on!!!
  • saleggo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Wow, for once Nebraska actually does something kind of worthwhile.
    I'm from Nebraska, I can say that.
    Maybe the RIAA will get the clue and quit harrassing private citizens. That will give the large labels more time to keep screwing their somewhat decent artists out of money and keep feeding their horrendous pop stars to the public.
    • DRobins13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8As yet another Nebraskan, this makes me proud.
    • d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I as well.
    • hope, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I love it when we Nebraskans unite... Especially if it's against something worthwhile. Like, hmmm, the RIAA.
    • kunnavang, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Nebraska... um... FTW?

      Proud Bugeater
    • LVsFINEST, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yay Nebraska!!! Like some other guy said, finally Nebraska does something worth while.
    • modpancake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Also a Nebraskan. In fact, I am a college student at UNL, where this is all going down. I'm even on a computer in Andrews Hall posting this very comment.

      Can't wait to see what comes of this.
    • blarz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Bringing the CORN to em... Go Huskers!
  • TheIguana, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Dear RIAA,

    Please visit unewbraskap2psettlement.com and pay up or we will be forced to send the repo man to your offices.

    :P
  • RWVolkl158, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11I wish Purdue would follow suit. They just sent out an email to all students today basically stating that they will kiss the RIAA's ass and that they will aid them by giving them "logs for the purpose of pursuing legal action" and that "the university will at all times honor valid subpoenas"...

    Of course this is most likely just a scare tactic, but it's still *****.
    • InfinitySnatch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4They're just trying to scare us. I call *****, but you should probably delete Dtella for the time being. I wonder if that digg article drew attention to us. Thanks guys!
    • Nitro2985, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There's no way for the RIAA to see what is being transfered across Purdue's Intranet while they're out in the Internet looking around. Unless Purdue logs intranet activity (which we have no reason to think that they do) to such a major degree that they can see what files are being transfered, times, and ip's, and have already agreed to turn over those logs to the RIAA at regular intervals or allowed them to go over them, there's no reason to fret.

      I'm not deleting Dtella and I don't really think you need to be either.

      Here's an entry about the RIAA letter on the Dtella wiki.
      http://wiki.dtella.org/RIAA_Letter
    • Killerme, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4That seems really dumb of the University. If their students get sued they are going to lose lots of $$$ and possibly drop out. Less students = less money for the school.
    • pixelmixer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ball State is doing this also. Right at this moment my Hall Director is most likely trying to run a program on my system to match my MAC address to the ones they have recorded.

      Hopefully the software they use doesnt run on linux :P
  • EthanC, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16In Tomorrow's News - "RIAA sues University of Nebraska for obstruction of justice"
  • jerryparid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10The MAFIAA will never pay!
  • nebrfan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15I doubt the University of Nebraska _actually_ plans on collecting on this bill - this is all WONDERFUL and FREE publicity for the University. Not only do they get to show off the tech/connectivity of the campus by being in the top 3 Universities in the country for illegal file sharing, but now they are "sticking it" to the big, bad RIAA. This is worth at least 3 Tommy Lees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Lee_Goes_To_College)
    • livetheride, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11@nebrfan: Dugg, just for that fact that you used a "Tommy Lee" as a unit of a college's 'coolness'.
    • tech42er, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'll certainly look into this University...
  • Buckiller, on 10/12/2007, -11/+2Im gonna mention this to my prof (head of CS dept.) to see if he can get the ball rolling on something like this.
    • Tourney3p0, on 10/12/2007, -0/+32I'm going to talk to my uncle (Janitor at Quiznos) for the same reason.
    • monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17Why talk to you Computer Science professor for something that's not even remotely related to him?

      You might as well talk to your English 101 teacher about this too.
    • Buckiller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0He also over sees most of the campus network... thats why. Whoever gets that message from the RIAA is going to be going to him to talk.
  • reed311, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11This is good. The RIAA is trying to get this information to file a civil suit. A person or persons has no obligation to volunteer evidence to another group that they could use to file suit against someone else. In fact, the University should be protecting its paying students. It is up to the RIAA to prove their case by themselves, no one has to volunteer information to them.
    • PatNolan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The University system uses FERPA for everything it want to keep quiet -- how about this too.
  • N1XUK, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5This does actually make sense. Here in the UK its common practice to be charged an "admin" fee of £10 - £25 if you want to request a CCTV security video from an organisation. (Obviously free to police etc.) So unless the RIAA is actually making a criminal case and starts by prosecuting the uni, (who then find the students involved), the RIAA should definitly have to pay up.
  • SwissCamel, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2$40 in that ***** hole? Right?!

    Nah I'm kidding, calm down fellas.
  • Arcadian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Freakin' sweet.
  • Sultana, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3ahhh. This makes me happy. I grew up in NE, and got my degree from UNL. Showed the article to my husband, and he was very happy too.
  • NintendoJoe, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5actually makes me proud to live in nebraska.... and i thought i would never say that.

    in truth, nebraska isnt a bad place. but it is kinda boring. This is one of the first interesting things we've done.

    YAY NEBRASKA!
  • Ender06, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I currently go to UNL (U of Nebraska at Lincoln) finally someone is sticking it to em!
  • Brasky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Yay my school.
  • chicoer2001, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1how much was the bill for?
    • d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm estimating $11,000 since there were 1,000 requests and they estimated $11 per request
  • tigerjk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3dugg after only reading the title of the story. hope this means more and more people/organizations start to stand up to the damn RIAA.
  • holyskeleton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4wow somebody's finally sane. thumbs up for the UN.
  • MagikOvenMit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5It's times like this that I'm proud to be a Nebraskan.
  • Vampire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Well I guess this means I can still download "things" when I am on campus! Sweet!
  • ADDHITMAN, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0wouldnt it be awesome if someone could hack into the files at RIAA and install limewire, along with putting 100 gigs of music and uploading it all. then we sue them and they ***** their pants
  • dapperdrake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5First Wisconsin, then Nebraska, who will stand up to the RIAA next?
    • d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6It's following me! I am from Nebraska but I go to school in Wisconsin :)

      Who wants it next? I'll give you a visit!
  • wiremonkeymommy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2nice move! (it's bad enough our tax dollars are spent by congress creating and passing anti-consumer laws coddling old media's business interests.)
  • Phlag, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Wow, when it came out that the University of Michigan (my school) handed over a couple students' information to the RIAA, I figured that was their only reasonable option - I guess not. Glad to hear that some universities are standing up for their students.
  • superrcat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3""It's university bandwidth that's being abused when students engage in music theft on the campus network," Engebretsen said. "And it's the university system that is used to offer up content to illegal downloaders around the world."

    It's also the university's bandwidth that is being used when your organization uploads and floods networks with "decoy" files.
  • ORD2FRA, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Way to go for my Alma Mater (NU '98).

    BTW U of Nebraska invented the McRib sandwich and has a kick ass dairy store! (both totally true)
    • d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I ate ice cream there once. Delicious.
    • Ender06, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That is true, I go there once in awhile (mostly in the summer) my mom used to work there (food science research).
    • plokij909, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You must be very proud
  • Simba_Is_Moses, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I live in Nebraska and i have never been more proud in my life. UNL is taking a stand against the RIAA's malicious harassment of young people. Suck my dick RIAA. (LOL I had to add that last bit)
  • K1llerSe7en, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5GO BIG RED!!! I am a freshman at UNL. And let me say that seeing this, it makes me glad that I go to a school who knows when laws are and aren't being broken, and when to stick it to the man!
  • soundboy64, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2is this unl or uno?
    • d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Not only did you neglect reading the article, you forgot to READ THE TITLE.
    • soundboy64, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1the only real mention is "Go Corn huskers" and the author put a space in between corn and huskers so I figured they asumed it was UNL and no where in the article did I see a reference to Lincoln or Omaha, so unless there is a sentence that says at Lincoln or at Omaha attatched to the University of Nebraska title, then try to not be so rude, thank you.

      Hell it may have even been UNK
  • MagikOvenMit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm just glad that we're getting better coverage than Tommy Lee Goes to College.
    • d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm still waiting to see that on MTV :)
  • d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3NEBRASKA REPRESENT
  • theelocust, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2this is why we have people like hagel and nelson representing us, because nebraskans kick ass, even when we lose at football
  • melkweg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0As goes Nebraska, So goes the nation! (Alma Mater UNL '93)
  • geekee, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3The RIAA should just sue U. of Nebraska then for aiding on copyright infringement if they are unwilling to cooperate in stopping these thieves. Why doesn't the university send the bill to the students instead? They are the ones causing the problem.
    • Ender06, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Because the RIAA is a bunch of malicious thugs out to extort money from college students, the ones who have no money.
  • xxdesmus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good for them, the RIAA can basically eat a dick because they no longer have a case against any of those students.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 63 of 63 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.