Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Bounty-hunters from L.A. bug UCSD music pirates

Hundreds of cease-and-desist notices charge unauthorized content distribution

Taylor Swift would approve
Taylor Swift would approve

Illegal file-sharing, long a problem at UCSD, is still going on, subjecting students and faculty to big-dollar jeopardy.

So says an August 18 campus warning posted online by the school's director of academic computing and media services, Jeff Henry.

"If you are trying to get songs, movies, anime, software, or other copyrighted content for free using peer-to-peer software, such as uTorrent, Popcorn Time, FrostWire, Transmission, or Vuze, BEWARE: the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including peer-to-peer file sharing, is illegal and may put you at risk for civil and criminal liabilities," says Henry's alert.

Hundreds of copyright violations

"Copyright agencies continue to send UC San Diego hundreds of cease and desist notices regarding the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content, mostly through peer-to-peer programs such as Bit Torrent."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Adds the warning: "Each of these notices carries the potential for a lawsuit and penalties in the thousands of dollars."

According to the post, "Copyright agencies actively monitor activity from all public UC San Diego networks, including UCSD-PROTECTED, ResNet, UCSD-GUEST, Eduroam, and the VPN."

In addition to risking the wrath of copyright owners, "students who receive a notice have their devices blocked temporarily and must attend a presentation on file sharing and copyright law."

Repeat student violators can expect fines between $150 and $300, with sanctions for faculty and staff "determined by their department," according to Henry’s notice.

$150,000 in fines for each student

Policing of copyright infringement has become a growing business nationally.

A Santa Monica–based outfit called Rightscorp, used by Taylor Swift and other pop stars, emails student violators with a warning that they face $150,000 fines, according to a March report by USA Today about internet abuse at New York's Columbia University.

“We fulfill our responsibility by taking appropriate action when we receive an infringement notice," Columbia spokesman Robert Hornsby told the paper.

Last November, Ohio State University's student newspaper, the Lantern, revealed that the school's wireless internet service had been widely abused by student pirates.

“I know two people who were caught and accused of pirating," an unnamed student told the paper. "One was warned by OSU Wireless that their activity had been detected. The other is off campus and is in an initial legal battle with the content owner."

Rightscorp's most recent quarterly report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission August 14, explains that "In return for the right to pursue copyright infringers, we pay the copyright holders a percentage of the revenue collected based on agreements with them entered prior to our notices being sent to infringers."

The company's disclosure says that "For the three months ended June 30, 2015, we paid $116,908 to copyright holders, or approximately 50% of collected revenues. For the three months ended June 30, 2014, we paid $125,740 to copyright holders, also approximately 50% of revenues."

The firm's legal bills, according to the document, "totaled $579,780 for the three months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $122,190 for the three months ended June 30, 2014, related to certain legal actions taken against the Company."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Taylor Swift would approve
Taylor Swift would approve

Illegal file-sharing, long a problem at UCSD, is still going on, subjecting students and faculty to big-dollar jeopardy.

So says an August 18 campus warning posted online by the school's director of academic computing and media services, Jeff Henry.

"If you are trying to get songs, movies, anime, software, or other copyrighted content for free using peer-to-peer software, such as uTorrent, Popcorn Time, FrostWire, Transmission, or Vuze, BEWARE: the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including peer-to-peer file sharing, is illegal and may put you at risk for civil and criminal liabilities," says Henry's alert.

Hundreds of copyright violations

"Copyright agencies continue to send UC San Diego hundreds of cease and desist notices regarding the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content, mostly through peer-to-peer programs such as Bit Torrent."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Adds the warning: "Each of these notices carries the potential for a lawsuit and penalties in the thousands of dollars."

According to the post, "Copyright agencies actively monitor activity from all public UC San Diego networks, including UCSD-PROTECTED, ResNet, UCSD-GUEST, Eduroam, and the VPN."

In addition to risking the wrath of copyright owners, "students who receive a notice have their devices blocked temporarily and must attend a presentation on file sharing and copyright law."

Repeat student violators can expect fines between $150 and $300, with sanctions for faculty and staff "determined by their department," according to Henry’s notice.

$150,000 in fines for each student

Policing of copyright infringement has become a growing business nationally.

A Santa Monica–based outfit called Rightscorp, used by Taylor Swift and other pop stars, emails student violators with a warning that they face $150,000 fines, according to a March report by USA Today about internet abuse at New York's Columbia University.

“We fulfill our responsibility by taking appropriate action when we receive an infringement notice," Columbia spokesman Robert Hornsby told the paper.

Last November, Ohio State University's student newspaper, the Lantern, revealed that the school's wireless internet service had been widely abused by student pirates.

“I know two people who were caught and accused of pirating," an unnamed student told the paper. "One was warned by OSU Wireless that their activity had been detected. The other is off campus and is in an initial legal battle with the content owner."

Rightscorp's most recent quarterly report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission August 14, explains that "In return for the right to pursue copyright infringers, we pay the copyright holders a percentage of the revenue collected based on agreements with them entered prior to our notices being sent to infringers."

The company's disclosure says that "For the three months ended June 30, 2015, we paid $116,908 to copyright holders, or approximately 50% of collected revenues. For the three months ended June 30, 2014, we paid $125,740 to copyright holders, also approximately 50% of revenues."

The firm's legal bills, according to the document, "totaled $579,780 for the three months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $122,190 for the three months ended June 30, 2014, related to certain legal actions taken against the Company."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader