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A 'Peer to Peer' Legal Aid Clinic

By Patrick

Speaking as we have been of legal aid (see generally here; here), I share this good deed the kids over at USF School of Law have been up to.

According to the linked article, the record industry has been sending letters to college students they believe may have shared music online. The letters threaten civil and criminal litigation unless the students settle within twenty days for sums ranging from three to six thousand dollars. Apparently many students, scared by the threatening tone of the letters, simply pay up without negotiating or exploring their options, or even determining whether they are actually liable. I find that frustrating, but not very surprising.

What IS surprising, frustrating, and also disappointing, is that the respective universities (Stanford, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University and University of California-Santa Cruz) have been providing students' names and personal contact information (un-subpoenaed) at record industry request.

That's just lame. Make 'em work for it, for chrissakes! Student privacy and freedom from trolling and harassment (which is not a completely unreasonable way to construe the letters) is valuable and worth protecting -- just ask Dean O!

Anyway, USF Law: kudos for taking care of your peers. I like it.

Full post as published by Nuts & Boalts on March 30, 2008 (boomark / email).