by Robert Connelly
According to the Associated Press, a federal jury ordered a single mother in Minnesota to pay $220,000 in fines for the illegal sharing of copyrighted music, representing the largest fine to date in the recording industry’s war on music pirating.
According to the story, Jammie Thomas, 30, was ordered to pay six record companies $9,250 for each of 24 songs they said she shared illegally. She was alleged to have shared a total of 1,702 songs online in violation of copyright law, which could have cost Thomas over $15 million in fines if the recording industry would have pursued the complete list of songs. The article failed to mention why they didn’t.
Since the creation of Napster in 1999, the Internet has given birth to numerous illegal online “record stores,” such as Limewire, Kazaa and many, many more. Now there are legal music downloading programs like iTunes and Yahoo! Music available to deter people from using illegal sites. People can access them either with a monthly subscription or by paying a per-song fee, usually $.99 a song.
Kent State students have been given the opportunity to sidestep these costly programs in exchange for a program named Ruckus. Students received an e-mail with information on how to join. Ruckus is a free site that Kent State has teamed up with to benefit college students.
The registration process is easy, simply go to http://www.ruckus.com/ and become a new user with your valid Kent e-mail address. Ruckus will confirm your address and then send you a return e-mail with the remaining steps to download the software.
This is a very safe alternative to taking a gamble with these illegal sites. Unless you feel you have received enough financial aid for tuition, books, lawyer fees, court costs and one large six digit settlement, take this as an opportunity to rid yourself of any worries.
