Spring Break
Freshman, RIAA settle as more threats issued
Student accepts out-of-court settlement of $3,000
Nathaniel Shuda
Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: Campus News
At least one UW-Eau Claire student has accepted a settlement offer as the Recording Industry Association of America continues to crack down on illegal music downloading on college campuses.
Freshman Courtney Dokkestul, who received a letter during the first round of notifications, said she has accepted a settlement offer for a principal amount of $3,000.
"At first I thought it was a joke," Dokkestul said, adding she still hasn't decided whether to go with a six-month payment plan for $3,250 or a 12-month plan for a total of $3,500.
"It's like playing poker with them - I have three cards, they have seven or eight, and I don't have an ace in my hand," she said.
In addition, the settlement has forced her to drop out of school, Dokkestul said, saying she will attend Chippewa Valley Technical College next year.
"For the people that are in my situation, I have sympathy for them," she said. "For the people who haven't gotten caught, they're still going to come after you."
The RIAA sent out 413 more pre-litigation letters to students at 22 universities nationwide Wednesday in a further attempt to crack down on illegal music downloading.
While Eau Claire and UW-Madison - the two UW System schools that showed up on the RIAA's February list of top 25 schools with the most complaints - did not receive any letters this time, Eau Claire officials said students should still exercise caution.
"I don't know if it means anything," said Associate Dean of Student Development Jodi Thesing-Ritter of not getting any letters.
"Certainly it's good news because no more students have been negatively impacted by this, but this doesn't mean we won't get any more letters or that they aren't scanning right now."
Steven Marks, general council and executive vice president of the RIAA said in a release Wednesday the RIAA hopes the letters will serve as a deterrent to those who might consider downloading music.
"The question we ask of students is this: with high-quality legal music options available for free or deeply discounted, why take the twin risks of exposing your computer to viruses or spyware by downloading from an illegal site or exposing yourself to a costly lawsuit?"
Dokkestul said she doesn't hold any grudges towards those who use Limewire and other peer-2-peer Web sites.
"I don't think any of us … have any harsh feelings against the people who didn't get caught," she said. "Somebody had to get caught, and unfortunately it was me."
Freshman Courtney Dokkestul, who received a letter during the first round of notifications, said she has accepted a settlement offer for a principal amount of $3,000.
"At first I thought it was a joke," Dokkestul said, adding she still hasn't decided whether to go with a six-month payment plan for $3,250 or a 12-month plan for a total of $3,500.
"It's like playing poker with them - I have three cards, they have seven or eight, and I don't have an ace in my hand," she said.
In addition, the settlement has forced her to drop out of school, Dokkestul said, saying she will attend Chippewa Valley Technical College next year.
"For the people that are in my situation, I have sympathy for them," she said. "For the people who haven't gotten caught, they're still going to come after you."
The RIAA sent out 413 more pre-litigation letters to students at 22 universities nationwide Wednesday in a further attempt to crack down on illegal music downloading.
While Eau Claire and UW-Madison - the two UW System schools that showed up on the RIAA's February list of top 25 schools with the most complaints - did not receive any letters this time, Eau Claire officials said students should still exercise caution.
"I don't know if it means anything," said Associate Dean of Student Development Jodi Thesing-Ritter of not getting any letters.
"Certainly it's good news because no more students have been negatively impacted by this, but this doesn't mean we won't get any more letters or that they aren't scanning right now."
Steven Marks, general council and executive vice president of the RIAA said in a release Wednesday the RIAA hopes the letters will serve as a deterrent to those who might consider downloading music.
"The question we ask of students is this: with high-quality legal music options available for free or deeply discounted, why take the twin risks of exposing your computer to viruses or spyware by downloading from an illegal site or exposing yourself to a costly lawsuit?"
Dokkestul said she doesn't hold any grudges towards those who use Limewire and other peer-2-peer Web sites.
"I don't think any of us … have any harsh feelings against the people who didn't get caught," she said. "Somebody had to get caught, and unfortunately it was me."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Cal
posted 4/16/07 @ 11:33 AM CST
I don't download and I only purchase used CD which has probably been copied anyways, nothing wrong with that eh? The RIAA is losing a losing battle and will only drive more customers away in the end. (Continued…)
gary ross
posted 4/16/07 @ 9:37 PM CST
It's too bad she didn't consult a good attorney. She could very well be on the receiving end of that amount of money. There are certain laws relating to debt collection and the time necessary for notification and payment in Wisconsin. (Continued…)
Post a Comment