UNC system starts pilot file sharing program

By Colleen Griffiths
News Editor

Four schools in the UNC system have been chosen to participate in a pilot file-sharing program that will allow them to download music and other copyrighted material on the Internet for free.

In response to increasing numbers of illegal downloads and copyright infringements on college campuses, UNC schools have decided to imitate successful programs used by other universities in the United States. Penn State made a deal with Napster several months ago to provide its premium digital music service to students for free; Florida State has implemented its Integrated Control Application for Restricting User Services (ICARUS) program, which is designed to stem file sharing among students and Duke University gave iPods to all incoming freshmen. These universities have made deals with larger corporations to supply their schools with certain services in the hopes of lowering illegal online activities by students.

“We have been working quietly and carefully on this complex issue,” said Molly Broad, president of UNC Chapel Hill, in a memo sent to all UNC campuses.

Ruckus, iTunes, Cdigix and Rhapsody have agreed to provide file-sharing services, often called Peer-to-Peer sharing (P2P). The schools chosen - North Carolina A&T State, Western Carolina, UNC Wilmington and the North Carolina School of the Arts - will be able to download music, movies and other material from the Internet for free.

Two more campuses, NC State and UNC Chapel Hill, will join the program in the spring. The participating schools will be able to choose which provider to use based on student feedback.

The company paying for the program and the cost of the program has not been released.

According to Broad, Chapel Hill is researching ways to expand the uses of P2P technology in the classroom.

“Chapel Hill hopes to create an educational program on copyright infringement that could be utilized throughout higher education,” said Broad.

If the pilot program is successful, it could be expanded to include all of the schools in the UNC system.