RIAA Settlement Letters
Here is some important information about illegal downloads of music, movies, and software. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is stepping up actions against individuals who illegally share copyright-protected music. The new method used is to send “settlement letters” to institutions of higher education and other Internet service providers. These “settlement letters” are to be forwarded to individuals alleged to have infringed on RIAA copyrights. The RIAA does not have the individual’s name— just his or her Internet address. The service provider must match this address with personal information and forward it to the appropriate recipient. The letters provide a web address where the recipient can go to pay a fine for the illegal activity to avoid risking a lawsuit.
For students in the residential halls, Northern Arizona University treats settlement letters in the same fashion that it currently responds to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) infringement notices that it receives. In accordance with the university’s Network Acceptable Use Policy (www.nau.edu/resnet/policies), the individual’s network access will be blocked and the settlement letter forwarded to the identified student. Network access will be reinstated after the student contacts the Academic Computing Help Desk. Second offenses will be referred to Student Life, which is the current practice for DMCA notices. Northern Arizona University will not release student contact information to the RIAA unless served with a subpoena or otherwise legally required to release the information. A student who receives a letter is entirely responsible for response to the letter and may want to seek appropriate legal advice before responding.
If potentially infringing material is discovered on staff or faculty machines, in accordance with NAU Network Acceptable Use Policy for staff and faculty, ITS Client Support will contact the individual and handle the situation on a case-by-case basis. ITS does not scan for illegal materials, but we are required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to remove infringing materials from our network when notified by the copyright owner or agent. As with students, we will not release individual names to an outside agency unless presented with a subpoena from a law enforcement agency. For more information, visit the Academic Computing Help Desk web page at www4.nau.edu/achd/.
Consider seeking legal advice before responding to a letter like this.
