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Record industry sues file-swapping students

The International Federation of the Phonographics Industry (IFPI), an umbrella group representing the record industry in Taiwan, sent a representative to the Tainan District Prosecutor's Office yesterday morning to file a suit against 14 National Chengkung University students accused of illegally copying and trading copyrighted MP3 music files.

In a case that is currently sending shock waves through many of Taiwan's campuses, the record industry clearly intends to make an example of the students. In addition to filing suit for copyright violations, the federation also plans to bring a civil case against the students and seek compensation.

The industry group's secretary general Li Jui-bin (李瑞斌) commented on the industry's position, saying that the problem of copyright violations on university campuses is becoming increasingly severe, but because of misgivings about going onto the campuses, past attempts to ban the practice of illegally copying music have been ineffective. He expressed confidence that this case would serve as a warning to others who illegally copy music files, and declared that if the 14 students are found to have violated copyright laws, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There will be no form of outside settlement for this case, he said.

Meanwhile, students across Taiwan have reacted with alarm to the news from Tainan. Online bulletin board sites have received thousands of postings related to the case. Many acknowledge that downloading illegal music from the Web is wrong but feel that students play only a tiny role in the larger problem of pirated music. The entrance of organized crime groups into the business of pirating music is perceived as far more serious. A few cynics also question why initial investigations of student criminal behavior are not focussed on a campus like that of the Police University.

Other more technically minded postings teach peers "self-defense" techniques of erasing files without a trace, keeping hidden backup files, and even smashing one's own hard drive in the event of a police search in school dorms.

Many students have begun using portable hard drives, which they carry to their classes for fear that a dorm search will take place during the day when they are away from their computers. Those who can burn CDs have been busy helping friends backup their MP3 files.

School authorities at National Chengkung University, including the university's president Kao Chiang (高強), also met yesterday morning with several lawyers who have been retained by the school. However, the lawyers had differing opinions about whether the students involved had violated the law. One teacher compared MP3 files to books, which may be legally shared but not copied. Others referred to similar cases abroad which have yielded inconsistent rulings.

The university authorities urged students to remain calm and focus on their studies.

Midterm exams will begin at Chengkung University next week.
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