White Paper on SCA Copyright Policy

For my end of the year project I wrote a white paper critiquing USC School of Cinematic Arts' (SCA) copyright policy (found here - PDF) as it represents a non-academic and corporate approach to content ownershipthat is detrimental to both SCA students and SCA itself.

The white paper (PDF) focuses on understanding SCA's current policy, why it must change its IP policy on a very basic level, and finally why adopting Creative Commons licences presents SCA and it its students with a myriad of positive outcomes. The paper contains important information that isn't discussed on a regular basis with the SCA student body, hopefully acts as a valuable resource for these students in helping them contextualize their rights to ownership.

If you guys agree ideologically, please don't forget to sign the petition online asking SCA to change their policy.

DT Quotes Show File-Sharing Rift on Campus

The students quoted in this Daily Trojan article show an interesting rift in sentiment on the USC campus in regard to file-sharing and the RIAA's lawsuits:

"It's a rippling effect. [The RIAA] starts doing this, and we find sneakier ways to download illegally," he said. "Until they get the picture that we're not going to stop until they make it much easier to get music at a reasonable price, we're not going to stop." - an anonymous freshman interactive entertainment major

versus...

"It seems like they're trying to make some sort of compromise," he said. "You've seen the lawsuits where some grandma is sued and pays thousands of dollars, so if they're willing to settle out of court - sort of like a, 'You help us, we'll help you' - that's a good thing." - Brandon Lang, freshman business major

Notice that the budding cultural creator is opposed to the RIAA's tactics and expresses dissatisfaction with the music industry, while the budding business mogul views the RIAA's actions as defensible--even beneficial.

I'd like to think that the rift between the two viewpoints is mostly an information rift--that with more knowledge, Lang would ultimately come to see how the RIAA's tactics are dangerous to civil liberties and dangerous to our future as consumers and technloogists. But what would be the best way to go about having that dialogue?

(via the Daily Trojan)

Don't Worry, We Get in Trouble with the RIAA, Too

According to our very own Daily Trojan:

The Recording Industry Association of America has announced it will send letters to several universities offering students who illegally download music a chance to settle with the RIAA before they are sued for copyright infringement.

...

The letters are part of the RIAA's new plan to crack down on illegal downloading at college campuses. Of the 400 letters sent, USC received 20. Ohio University topped the list with 50 letters, the release stated.

We still lost to Ohio, though.