[IP] Stanford to hit P2P users in the wallet with reconnection fees FINED EVEN IF NOT GUILTY --

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne@warpspeed.com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: May 18, 2007 1:19:46 PM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy@warpspeed.com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Stanford to hit P2P users in the wallet with  
reconnection fees

Stanford to hit P2P users in the wallet with reconnection fees
By Eric Bangeman | Published: May 16, 2007 - 11:41PM CT

<http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070516-stanford-to-hit-p2p- 
users-in-the-wallet-with-reconnection-fees.html>

Reactions of universities named in the RIAA and MPAA's top 25 list of  
pirate schools have run the gamut from embarrassed to seemingly  
indifferent. Color Stanford red-faced, as a copy of the school's  
revised DMCA Complaint Policy received by file-sharing litigation  
attorney Ray Beckerman demonstrates.

Citing the costs involved with keeping up with the number of file- 
sharing complaints received by the school, Stanford will continue to  
disconnect students from the campus network upon the receipt of "DMCA  
complaints" and other notices such as the infamous prelitigation  
settlement letters from the RIAA but will now charge students a hefty  
fee to be reconnected. Stanford administration says that it takes  
almost three full-time employees to stay on top of the number of  
complaints. Stanford is justifying the reconnection fees by calling  
the money spent on copyright-enforcement-related activities "an  
irresponsible waste of Stanford's resources."

Upon the receipt of the first DMCA complaint, the school's  
Information Security Office (ISO) will forward a copy to the student  
along with a message directing him or her to remove the infringing  
content. If the student fails respond to the ISO and does not remove  
the infringing material within 48 hours, he or she will be  
disconnected from the school network and assessed a $100 reconnection  
charge. Students can provide a counter-notice to the ISO if they  
believe they received the complaint in error.

[snip]


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