Spring Break
RIAA sends threats to 26 Dukies
By: Zachary Tracer
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
Last update: 11/29/07 at 5:58 AM EST
Last update: 11/29/07 at 5:58 AM EST
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"We have received the new batch of settlement letters and my recollection is that we were able to pass those on to all but one [of the students]," said Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs.
This is not the first time the RIAA has sent letters to Duke. Last May, 35 notices were sent. Moneta said the University does not reveal students' names to the RIAA except in cases where it receives a subpoena ordering it to do so.
Among the students receiving a notice was sophomore Max Altman. The Office of Information Technology forwarded him an e-mail from the RIAA about two weeks ago. He then received a letter in the mail this Monday.
He said the letter offered him the options of settling with the RIAA by paying $4,000 or facing a potential $500,000 lawsuit.
A copy of the form letter provided to The Chronicle by the RIAA threatens the students with lawsuits if they do not reply within 20 days of the date of the letter.
"You could just write them a check for $4,000 right now and be done with it," Altman said. "Don't have to deal with any lawyers, don't have to deal with anything. I'm not going to choose to do that."
He added that he plans to hire a lawyer and believes he has a strong chance of winning.
In light of the legal battle he now faces, Altman said he wonders whether Duke could have done more to keep him out of the RIAA's spotlight.
"I would like to think they could have done more, but I don't know what they could have done," he said.
The University is currently refining its procedure for responding to RIAA notices and plans to send a letter to students in January explaining them, Moneta said. This approach has been developed in consultation with Tracy Futhey, vice president for information technology, and Associate University Counsel Henry Cuthbert.
"What we're trying to do is find the appropriate middle ground so that we're neither casting our students to the vagaries of external litigation nor insulating them from the consequences," Moneta said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 5
graham cracker
posted 11/29/07 @ 11:10 AM EST
as one might expect, there is little information whether this ongoing meanspirited RIAA shakedown of students was directed or sourced from a DUKE student email ID. (Continued…)
Bill M
posted 11/29/07 @ 2:36 PM EST
I am not a computer expert but I can think of any number of means to download files without leading the RIAA to your doorsteps
How about the engineering and science students of Duke giving aid and comfort to thier follow students!
The large scale way of dealing with the RIAA however would be to have a national student boycott of buying music for a month or so with the threat of more and longer boycotts in the future if more lawsuits are file against students. (Continued…)
Karla McLubiano
posted 11/29/07 @ 5:13 PM EST
As his photograph shows, Max Altman is a privileged white male. He is no choirboy. Whatever he has done is bad enough. He should get a conscience, not a lawyer. (Continued…)
chris h
posted 11/29/07 @ 9:14 PM EST
"preventative" is not a word
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