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Students rally behind colleagues targeted in police crackdown

A National Chengkung University official discusses last Wednesday's police raid where 14 computers alleged to contain illegally downloaded music files were seized with students of the university on Friday. PHOTO: HUNG RUEY-CHIN, TAIPEI TIMES

Students at National Chengkung University (NCKU) have rallied behind 14 of their classmates who recently got caught up in a copyright infringement case.

Acting on an anonymous tip, officials from the Tainan District Prosecutor's Office led police in an unprecedented search of one of the university's dormitories on April 11 during which they confiscated 14 computers that allegedly contained illegally downloaded MP3 music files.

The crackdown, which has received the enthusiastic support of the music industry, shocked students across Taiwan. Students on the campus formed a "self-rescue" association in the early hours of yesterday morning to better present their point of view and to communicate with similar groups at other universities. By afternoon, they had already begun a petition drive in support of their classmates and had collected over 3,000 signatures. The student association of National Taiwan University also expressed support for their cause.

The president of the NCKU student association, Chiang Hsing-ti (姜星狄), said the students have three primary points of contention with the way in which the prosecutors conducted their search. First, they question the decision of the prosecutors to enter university dorms on the basis of an anonymous letter.

Second, they claim that police acted before receiving search warrants in violation of the law.

Third, in the process of searching and confiscating computers, prosecutors had no way of knowing what data would be in each computer or to whom files might belong. The students said the search was a "sampling" of computers which violated students' rights.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), arrived at the university yesterday afternoon to deliver a lecture, and student activists planned to give him a letter listing their grievances in the hope of receiving further support.

The director of student activities for the NCKU student association, Chang Hui-wen (張蕙雯), expressed hope that yesterday's activities would persuade the music industry to drop its case against the students.

Her hopes echoed university president Kao Chiang (高強), who announced on Friday that the university would attempt to mediate between the students and music industry representatives should they decide to press the case.

At present, it seems likely that the case will go forward. In fact, the music industry would like to bring a further civil suit against the students to seek compensation from them and their families.
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