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Monday, January 21

Gov't ties college funding to cooperation with RIAA

The Electronic Fonteir Foundation reported that hidden within H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007, lies language that could withhold federal funding from colleges where "illegal" file-sharing takes place.  While the overwhelming majority of the 800 page bill will serve college students by making college cheaper, the RIAA/MPAA have clearly gotten their way by forcing colleges to prohibit file-sharing technologies from being used (even legitimately) and making universities buy in to new subscription based music services that rob users of their rights through convuluted digital rights managment (1,2) schemes.  

Nobody wants to rob the artists from they money they deserve, but clearly the RIAA is not going about this in a sensible way.

This very well might impact your years at college, so you better follow this story as it develops.

Note: the RIAA is the same industry group that claims that ripping CDs to your iPod is not fair use and is illegal.

See also:  Digital Millenium Copyright Act

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