Rich Fiscus
20 Nov 2007 10:51
Despite reports that the 747 page College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 includes provisions that would force universities to provide alternative methods to P2P for downloading music, and claims from officials representing a variety of schools, apparently no such provision exists.
It's true that the bill does have language asking universities to "develop a plan for offering alternatives to illegal downloading or peer-to-peer distribution of intellectual property as well as a plan to explore technology-based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity." However, no tests for compliance or penalties for failure to develop such a plan is included, and it does only suggest they do this "to the extent practicable."
If university officials are overreacting, it's certainly understandable why they would assume the worst of the bill. Just this year an amendment was added to a financial aid bill that would have created a list of the campuses deemed the worst copyright "offenders." It was later withdrawn, but only after a very public outcry from educators.
Still, the attention generated over this bill may help ensure that the sort of measures educators are already worried about don't get added at the last minute. Even if the situation isn't as dire as critics claim, one thing politicians have shown is a willingness to quietly add copyright enforcement clauses into education related legislation. It can't hurt to keep paying attention.
Source: Wired