Today, the 14th of January in the year 2008 RIT has taken the first step in caving to the RIAA/MPAA witchhunt. An e-mail has been sent to the students and staff concerning the “rampant disregard for intellectual property rights”. RIT has outlined a 3 step escelation system for dealing with accusations lodged against RIT students and faculty. The wording in this e-mail is troubling and important. The first bullet point in the e-mail is this:
“An initial reported copyright violation”
(Emphasis has been added).
Now while it is true that the consequence at this level is merely temporary disconnection, the actions taken quickly get serious and at an institute which is so fast paced even a temporary revocation of network access can pose major setbacks to those in courses of study where it is vital. Especially since all that is required to enter this particular track is a REPORTED violation. And that is VERY disconcerting.
The message does mention the accused will have an “opportunity” to defend themselves after such an accusation…presumably once their connectivity has been restored. Of course the message doesn’t say how to do this, it doesn’t say where it is. So do they send it to you after your get accused? So you can try to assemble your defense after your “probation” is up? I’d think something like this would be useful to tell everyone, guilty or innocent, before they even need to worry about it.
If I’m wrong with my interpration I will fully redact the insinuations of this post and apologize to those involved at RIT. In closing I am also including a letter I have written to President Destler. Feel free to resend this or add your names to it.
Dr. Destler,
I have just received the mass media message sent out to the student body regarding the actions being taken by RIT to curb IP infringement. And this message seems to indicate that immediate action will be taken upon receipt of an accusation. The evidence lies in the phrasing: “An initial reported copyright violation”. This says a REPORTED violation, not necessarily an actual confirmed violation. The message then links to the legal download information page and makes a down-played reference to the idea that the accused still technically have some rights and can contest the action…but again this is the action and not the accusation. However I have read the RIT Computer Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Policy, and I can’t find the exact procedure for defending oneself. My question is…
What is this procedure, where is it, and when was RIT intending to put it out in clear text for those who are looking?
