- -- - -- - '7' %k 7 -N EW S The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 30, 2003 - 3 [AA will expand lawsuits rainst file sharing users Every Tuesday since Sept. 11, the weekly Peace Vigil meets to express their views regarding the war, with the invasion of Afganistan and a peaceful resolution. SODOMY Continued from Page 1 "People are going to do exactly what they want to do, regardless of set rules and especially if they've been doing it all along" said Eastern Michigan University juniorVira Van Horn."... That's a privacy thing. I'm not saying I'm a supporter of that kind of activity, but as far as the law is concerned, people will continue to do what they want to do in the bedroom." Robert Knight, a spokesman for the conservative group Culture and Family Institute, said Thursday's ruling would have "very real consequences." He warned that the ruling would destabilize the legal foundation of mar- riage, lead to more deaths among gay men from sexually transmitted dis- eases and lead to schoolchildren being taught "that homosexual sodomy is the same as marital sex." Even before the justices handed down their decision, the case led to controversy this week involving Sen. Rick Santo- rum, (R-Penn.), who said overturning the law could lead to legalized incest, bigamy and polygamy. "Whenever I hear statements like that from people, I am always remind- ed of the struggle against ignorance and intolerance that we as a commu- nity need to continue to fight against. It shows me just how much more edu- cating we need to do," said Jeff Souva co-chair of the Michigan Student Assembly Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Commission. "I don't see the arguments of certain government officials as a valid argu- ment but I understand that others see same-sex intercourse as a vice," said LSA junior Joel Weltman. "That's not to say that it doesn't piss me off when someone in power can make statements like that," he added. He said the ruling is a significant step forward for the gay rights movement, although there is much to be done. "This law has the potential to empower people that are not yet empowered. The ruling has made a difference... in the future it will be helpful, but at this point we are still far behind," he said. As one of the 14 states in the nation that have a sodomy law, Michigan will be significantly impacted by the deci- sion, said Sean Kosofsky, director of Pol- icy at the Triangle Foundation. "Our sodomy law in Michigan is the toughest in the nation," Kosofsky said. He added under Michigan's law, sodomy violations were considered a 15- year felony for the first conviction, and life in jail for the second conviction. "It's been used hundreds and hundreds of times in the past couple years," he said, adding that the law was commonly used to deter adoption by gay parents. "So it's a very very exciting decision not only for privacy rights of all Ameri- cans but for equal protection for gays and lesbians,"Kosofsky said. By AbdurRahman Pasha For theDaily The Recording Industry Associa- tion of America said it will file law- suits against those who share massive amounts of music online, according to a written statement released last Wednesday. The announcement comes on the heels of a District Court ruling on April 24 in RIAA v. Verizon Internet Services, which granted the RIAA access to the personal information of computer users via their Internet Service Provider, which will aid the recording industry in catching and prosecuting users. In addition to the recent court ruling, falling record sales have driven the RIAA to its new stance. Many University students reacted to the announcement with confusion and indignation. LSA senior Michael Pappas said he was doubtful the RIAA's threat of lawsuits would not deter students from downloading. "I don't think scaring people is going to make people stop - some people will stop, but many won't. I think over time, people will begin to counter-sue or find loopholes. People will always find ways around it," Pappas said. Pappas added, "I kind of see where they are coming from. But, I also heard that CD sales from college students haven't really changed. Some statistics show that there hasn't been much of a decrease, if any. If that's the case, what would it matter if we're sharing files, if they're not losing money to begin with?" According to its own research, the RIAA claims the music industry has gone from a 40 billion business in 2000 down to 32 billion in 2002. LSA junior Cianna Freeman said the RIAA's new position has more to do with their greed and the lack of quality music in the market, than with protecting copyright laws. "This is ridiculous,"Freeman said. "They are making millions of dollars off of us. If your CD is good, then it will be bought....The last CD I bought was by Aaliyah, because it was good. I lis- tened to it online first, I liked it, then I went and purchased it," she said. "Their tactics are over the top to say "Their tactics are over the top to say the least. Let me know when someone is not eating because we haven't bought your CD ... These new tactics by the RIAA only make me want to be more rebellious." - Cianna Freeman LSA junior the least. Let me know when someone is not eating because we haven't bought your CD. ... These new tactics by the RIAA only makes me want to be more rebellious" Freeman added. Some people are calling for a boycott of the music industry. Bill Evans, the founder of a website boycotting the RIAA, said he has been busy building a national grassroots campaign. According to the official website, the overall goal of the campaign is to educate the public and prevent the RIAA from controlling the music industry via copyright laws. Evans said the lawsuits could alienate music customers from the major labels. Evans added that if approached from the correct angle, the RIAA would be able to use file-sharing tech- nology to its advantage. "According to the RIAA's own numbers there are 2.7 billion down- loads per month. If they were even charging five cents per track, that is a whole lot of nickel sales (that) would be up not down .... but the RIAA has backed themselves into a corner." The RIAA maintains the legality of its claims. They have sued college stu- dents in the past, but now are also targeting those with substantial on- line music collections, not just the hosts of servers. The first round of suits could take place as early as mid-August, according to a written statement by the RIAA. Corrections: In the June 24 special edition issue, it should have been stated that the 6th Circuit court has not yet issued an opinion on the case challenging the LSA admissions policy, Gratz. v. Bollinger. 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