p2pnet - rss feed: UCLA becomes Hollywood enforcer
p2pnet.net News:- The University of California at Los Angeles has become the second US university to develop software to specifically enable it to act as an entertainment industry enforcer.
Predictably, Hollywood thinks it’s wonderful and movie industry executives “have applauded administrators at UCLA - as well those at the University of Florida,” says a glowing report in the Chronicle of Higher Education here.
It goes on to quote Matthew Grossman, director of digital strategy at the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) as saying: “I think it’s great that they’re being so proactive about enforcing copyright protection”.
The University of Florida was the first to go on full thrust as an unpaid RIAA police agency with a purpose-built application to spot what it claims are illicit p2p incursions by U of F students.
Called ICARUS, short for the Integrated Control Application for Restricting User Services, with it, school authorities shut down network access every time ICARUS comes across anything resembling p2p activity.
Now, “In a hard-nosed approach to online piracy, the University of California at Los Angeles has begun using new software that disconnects from the campus network students accused of trading copyrighted songs or movies - and reinstates the users only after they delete the offending files,”
“The software, designed by computer scientists at UCLA, made its debut on the campus on Monday, just weeks after administrators announced they would adopt stricter policies on file sharing and intellectual property.
“The university hopes the software will streamline the often time-consuming practice of responding to cease-and-desist orders sent by copyright holders who have identified instances of alleged piracy. UCLA has received more than 300 such notifications since July, campus officials said.”
The first time students are accused of copyright violations, they automatically lose Internet access, says the report, not saying if a case has to be proven before the student is disbarred.
“To regain their online privileges, they must delete any files cited in the cease-and-desist orders,” says the report. “They must also sign a form in which they verify that the files have been removed but do not admit to any copyright infractions. Second-time offenders must do the same - and face disciplinary action from a dean who is automatically notified by the software.”
The system shouldn’t restrict students’ privacy or their right to contest the cease-and-desist notices, James F. Davis, associate vice chancellor of information technology is quoted as saying, and, “UCLA respects due process and the student disciplinary process,” Mr. Davis said in a written statement, “and is striving to balance this respect with UCLA’s intention to comply and promote compliance with copyright laws.”
Nor is Hollywood leaving it to the schools to come up with computerized pseudo-cop systems.
The entertainment industry is getting ready to launch a home-made (so to speak) application that’ll enable copyright holders to “better police ISPs or high-volume networks like those on university campuses”.
Does that mean copyright holders are policing ISPs and university campuses now, but the results could be better?
Anyway, called the Automated Copyright Notice System (ACNS), it was developed by Universal Music Group and Vivendi Universal Entertainment.
It, too, is being implemented at UCLA but, Grossman hastens to emphasise, it’s “a process tool more than an enforcement tool. We heard from a lot of people who said it took a lot of man-hours to process these cease-and-desist notifications, and this software should help ease the flow of information.”
Oh. Well, that’s OK, then.
The technology was tested by members of the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities, says the Chronicle story.
This JCHEEC is a Hollywood inspired group that’s being insinuated into the US university system to market ‘product’ direct to students to protect them from prosecution - by the entertainment industry.
Penn State was the first institution to become a Hollywood direct sales unit, with the University of Rochester following behind.
Senior administrators from both schools are active on the JCHEEC.
