New EFF White Paper Helps Universities Understand Their Options
San Francisco - With entertainment companies now suing thousands of college students for using the high-speed Internet2 network for filesharing, universities are under more pressure than ever to address the problem of copyright infringement on campus networks. In doing so, they must balance academic freedom with attempts to reduce infringement. To address the issue, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today released a white paper exploring solutions. Entitled "When Push Comes to Shove: A Hype-Free Guide to Evaluating Technical Solutions to Copyright on Campus," the paper examines the benefits and drawbacks of several systems designed to combat infringement on university networks.
"The music and movie industries want schools to spy on their students and ban whole categories of computer programs from the learning environment," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "But there are ways to reduce infringement without undermining education and research. This paper explains what they are."
While the paper reviews specific tools such as AudibleMagic, PacketShaper, and the Automated Copyright Notice System (ANCS), it also explores educational and policy solutions. "When Push Comes to Shove" is a must-read for anyone who runs or uses university networks and cares about how the entertainment industry's lawsuits are affecting the future of these networks and the academic environment.
Learn more about filesharing.
Contact:
Jason Schultz
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
jason@eff.org
