U lAid9ian &ai1
Ann r nd: dMonday, ,2007
Burned: IIIIIStudents N- $ {
NEWS
'U' Health System
makes the grade
The University Health System
took top honors in a national
evaluation of the medical facili-
ties of 116 universities for its ethi-
cal stance on prescription drugs.
See page 2.
OPINION
From the Daily: A
Greek tragedy
In the embarrassing aftermath
of Beta Theta Pi getting dis-
banded by its national organiza-
tion, the Interfraternity Council
needs to rethink its enforcement
policies. Hopefully, it realizes that
autonomy comes with responsi-
bility. See page 4.
ARTS
Wilco and 'Shrek'
Daily Arts jams to
thenewWilco
album and
questions
the latest
installment
in the
"Shrek"
series.
See
page 9.
INDEX
Vol. cxvii, No. 141
;2007 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com
N E W S .............................................2
SU D O K U ........................................2
O PIN IO N ........................................4
CLASSIFIED ..................................6
A R T S ...............................................9
SPORTS.........................................13
hit with RIAA suits
By KATHERINE MITCHELL
Daily StaffReporter
The Recording Industry Associa-
tion of America announced Thurs-
day that it is delivering on its threat
to sue copyright infringers at the
University.
The RIAA, which represents
several record labels, said in a press
release on May 17 that 12 lawsuits
were filed against University net-
work users whose IP addresses the
trade group claims are connected to
illegal peer-to-peer file sharing.
The lawsuits are against network
users who were issued pre-litiga-
tion settlement letters on April 11.
The University passed on 23 letters
to alleged copyright infringers that
offered the chance to accept a settle-
ment deal to avoid a lawsuit filed
by the RIAA. The RIAA could only
issue the letters to IP addresses.
If accused users wished to accept
the pre-settlement terms, they had
to contact the RIAA directly and
reveal their identities.
Based on the number of lawsuits
filed, 11 alleged users chose to settle
with the trade group.
The RIAA said in the press
release that the pre-litigation settle-
ment offer included lower fines than
accused individuals would face if
found guilty in court.
The RIAA began sending settle-
ment letters to copyright infring-
ers in February as part of an effort
to crackdown on peer-to-peer file.
sharing on college campuses.
An e-mail sent by the University
in March to students, staff and fac-
ulty said past settlements for Uni-
versity students averaged between
$4,000 and $4,500. These students,
though, were not offered pre-litiga-
tion terms.
The RIAA settlement letters
allow accused users 20 days to con-
tact the trade group - students who
were issued notices on April 11 had
until May 1to accept the settlement
or face a lawsuit.
Jack Bernard, the University's
assistant general counsel, said he
didn't know how each of the 23 stu-
dents who were issued the notices
decided to respond.
"No one followed up with me and
said they were going to settle," he
said.
Bernard forwarded the settle-
ment letters to the students in April.
The lawsuits are filed under the
See RIAA, Page 3
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION 0Y 5HAY SPANIOLA/Dail)
File sharing software is getting users at the University mere than ust popular
media. Some may reap fines of several thousand dollars for copyright infringement.
BY THE NUMBERS
out of 3
The number oftalleged copyright infringers at
the University who chose to settle with the RIAA
after receiving pre-litigation letters sent Aprilt11.
500 Outof 1218
The number oftalleged copyright infringers at
universities nationwide who received pre-liti-
gation letters sent Feb. 28, March 21orApril11
and chose to settle with the RIAA.
HOW COPYRIGHT
INFRINGERS ARE CAUGHT
Individual clients, often music labels,
request servicesfrom a "monitor"-a
company that tags and tracks media using
special software.
" The monitors identify the IP addresses
from which the tagged product was down-
loaded or uploaded and report backto the
client with a list.
" Internetservice providers are solicited
for information on the identities of the users
associafed with each lP address.
* Monitors provide reports of the informa-
tion they collect about users to their clients.
sOURCE: A PRE-LITIGATION LETTER FROM
DAVENPORT LYONS FIRM
KRISLOV DEPARTURE
'U' general counsel accepts Oberlin presidency
By EMILY BARTON
Daily News Editor
After he graduated from the Uni-
versity in 2003, third year law stu-
dent Mike Simon went to work on
Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) presi-
dential campaign.
The day after Kerry lost the elec-
tion in 2004, Simon awoke to find a
package of food from Zingerman's
Delicatessen sit-
ting on his door-
step.
The return ;
address was
Marvin Krislov,
the University's
vice president
and general KRISLOV
counsel.
Krislov, a respected professor
and legal counsel for the University,
is stepping down from his position
at the University in July to become
the next president of Oberlin Col-
lege, Oberlin announced on May 15.
Krislov led the legal team that
successfully defended the Univer-
sity in the 2003 Supreme Court case
challenging the part of affirmative
action in the admission process.
Oberlin, a highly respected lib-
eral arts college in northern Ohio,
began its search for a new presi-
dent last September after Nancy
Dye resigned from the position.
Krislov was named a finalist earlier
this month, Oberlin spokesman Al
See KRISLOV, Page 8