Increasing numbers of internet users are illegally downloading music, a trend which is causing much concern in the movie industry and not much among students.
According to a recent Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) study, 24 percent of internet users in the U.S. download movies illegally. Of most concern to them is the fact that the same people who report downloading also report a decreased attendance of movie screenings and purchases of DVDs and videotapes.
Following the precedent of the music industry, the MPAA is using every resource to combat what they see as a huge potential loss in revenue. Their tactics mirror those used in past years to combat music downloading, including sending cease-and-desist orders through universities and internet providers and creating decoy files that look like movies but turn out not to be after they are downloaded.
For Tufts students, at least from the vantage point of legality, there is no difference between downloading movies and music. Both fall under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the main legislation used by copyright holders against Internet piracy.
Tufts, as the internet provider for all campus users, receives complaints from copyright holders about copyright violations from campus locations. Tufts Computing and Communications Services (TCCS) gives the suspected file-sharer a "warning," or first complaint, and shuts off his or her Internet access. Access is only returned after the student completes a short course on the DMCA and copyright issues.
If TCCS receives a second complaint about the same student, he or she is referred to the Dean's Office. The disciplinary action taken depends on the severity of the file-sharing offense.
Lesley Tolman, Director of Enterprise IT Infrastructure at TCCS, estimates that contacts from content holders are "split pretty evenly" between music and movie complaints. However, she has noticed an increase over the past three or four semesters, something she attributes to increased availability of movies online.
On the other hand, Tufts students tend to see the issue differently. Sophomore Austin Blair does not believe downloading movies is wrong: "I think the Hollywood execs make an insane amount of money making horrible excuses for movies and when they charge us $10.25 to go to a movie and 20 to 30 bucks for a DVD, I have no trouble justifying ripping them off as well."
An unofficial poll of Tufts students confirmed that a majority of students have watched an illegally-downloaded movie or know someone who has. A survey conducted by the Admissions Office revealed that these habits are formed even before the college years. According to the Admissions survey, 78 percent of the Class of 2007 downloaded mp3 or other media files from the Internet at least once a month prior to their first semester at Tufts.
Tufts Sociology Professor Henry Rubin attributes the popularity of illegally downloading movies to a combination of factors. "Because of their institutional affiliations with universities, students have access to 'fat pipelines' of high bandwidth that makes downloading movies very fast and efficient," he said.
Rubin believes that students engage in illegal downloading for a number of reasons, including that students may see downloading "as a fun way of collecting things they like and sharing them with friends."
Rubin also noted that the cost of DVDs is another important factor encouraging students to download.
Like Blair, many students are able to justify their behavior. The general consensus among students in regards to movie downloading seems to be "the claim that it isn't that big of a deal ... They [think], 'What's one download going to do to damage an entire industry?'" junior Jason Kapit said.
Though sophomore Becky Hayes doesn't download movies herself because she claims she's not computer savvy enough to do so, she is not opposed to movie downloading.
"If I could figure out how to download movies, I probably would," she said. "[These are lawsuits] that might make some rich men a little bit richer ... I think there are more pressing issues to worry about, more important things [for people] to devote time and energy to."
While not many students who take part in illegal downloading acknowledge that a lack of ethics plays a role in their behavior, freshman Kenny Leavitt does.
"From what I know, Limewire and Kazaa and such are private entities with profits ... so these people are manipulating our system and are making millions of dollars on an illegal business, and I'm supporting them," Leavitt said.
"I do not think it's OK to download movies online, but I still do. It's convenient, free and readily available - the only thing preventing me from downloading all the awesome movies I want is ethics."
Rubin points out that illegal downloading is just one component of typical college behavior. "Part of student life is about testing moral boundaries of what is right and wrong, experimenting with different life choices ... relatively protected from consequences."
However, not all students feel the temptation to illegally download movies. Though freshman Cassie Valentin is not against downloading movies, she has n'tdone so and doesn't plan to start.
"I don't really watch movies over and over again like I do with songs," she said. "Therefore, I don't mind paying a few dollars to rent a movie if it means not running the risk of viruses - or being sued - that you might encounter from illegally downloading."
