Legal Research

Legal Aid for Music Downloaders

A new intellectual-property law clinic at the University of San Francisco School of Law will assist students accused by the record or film industries of violating copyright law by swapping multi-media files online. The clinic will give advice on how to respond to pre-litigation letters and walk students through the steps of bringing an effective defense should suit commence.

From the article:

A new legal clinic at the University of San Francisco, created by Professor Robert Talbot of the USF School of Law, matches tech-savvy law students with frightened undergrads. The future lawyers get experience; the music fans get counsel.

"It helped. I didn't feel so alone," said a 20-year-old San Francisco State University psychology student who asked that she not be identified because it would expose her to embarrassment. Accused of sharing songs on her computer through the service Limewire, she received an RIAA letter last month threatening suit - and telling her that she had 20 days to pay $6,000 or face up to a $20,000 fine.

"It made me realize that more and more students are going through this," she said.

Read more at: http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/91511.html
Source: Government Innovators Network at Harvard Business School

Full post as published by LexLibris on April 11, 2008 (boomark / email).