Quote:
Originally Posted by Bond
I could be wrong, but I believe the RIAA specifically goes after universities.
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This is true. For a few reasons.
#1. The government funds a lot of these Universities. The Universities have been told by the government that if they don't comply with the RIAA/MPAA they will lose funding. In the end, it's still all about money.
#2. At least at my University, there is a nifty login method which makes it a lot easier to put an IP Address and a person together. It really removes a lot of the ambiguity that one could argue in court otherwise.
#3. Some of the more noble Internet Service Providers have spoken out against the DMCA's methods. They have made it clear that they will do everything within their power to protect the privacy of their customers. In the end, it's a lot more work to bust a single person at their home (low yield) than bust 50 kids at a college.
You do the math. 50 x 3500 (hypothetical cost of settling with the RIAA if they actively pursue a subpoena).
That's 175,000 in the bank for just sending a couple letters out to some college kids.
Now, this is all going to change, I promise you. With recent controversy (like, none of this "damage" money is actually going to the artists) I expect to see some serious limitations imposed on the DMCA. But we shall see.