Media Mayhem

But one eternal ethical question remains -- does ability beget the right?

An interlacing of legalese, protection laws, copyright acts and disputes over the rights of the consumer and the rights of the artist can turn an attempt to responsibly download the fruits of other people's labors into a swamp of sour grapes and rotten apples.

But if you have an ONYEN (the Only Name You'll Ever Need), then you have consented to the University's terms of agreement for ONYENs, prohibiting the acquisition or possession of media you are not "legally authorized to possess or distribute."

"The University policy is that we do need to respect copyright," said Jeanne Smythe, director of the Academic Technology Networks computing policy. "Students signing and affirming the appropriate use policy protects the University from contributing to copyright infringement."

With high-speed Internet access and brand-new Carolina Computing Initiative laptops awaiting their fingertips, students have both the school-sponsored tools and the network to take copyright infringement upon themselves. And the University has the responsibility to take disciplinary action in turn.

Penalties against violators include suspension or cancellation of computer accounts and other access privileges. Repeat or extenuating infractions are considered Honor Code violations.

"Well, for the first occurrence, generally they meet with us and have to remove any infringing materials and agree to abide by University policy," Smythe said. "If there are other issues in addition to copyright infringement, the student attorney general's office may become involved. If it gets to that point, we're just testifying."

But how do these occurrences come to light? What secrets become untangled from their nests of fiber optic cables?

"We're monitoring the quality of service so everyone gets a piece of the network, if you will," Smythe said. "If something pops up informing us that someone is using an inordinate amount of bandwidth, we do investigate."

But some investigations by ATN are often initiated by a complaint from organizations or individuals who own or are responsible for the intellectual material in their charge.

And while conflicts continue to arise over the legality of copyright infringement for organizations like the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America, the difference between legally and illegally downloaded materials is like apples and oranges.

"I would think for students that almost anytime you download a movie, it's illegal. There are very few sites that allow movies to be downloaded legally," said Phong Yokitas, a press representative of the MPAA.

"Ranger Online is a software we use that enables us to track down the source if one of our movies is being illegally distributed," Yokitas said.

"We are able to track that down, but that's generally in an open atmosphere like Napster or a public Web site. With a private network it becomes more difficult," Yokitas said.

But sometimes, increased illegal downloading from a private network can become quite apparent.

"Two years ago, Stanford University created more broadbands so their students could exchange files without using up too much bandwidth for research purposes. So many students ended up using this extra bandwidth for file-sharing that our president wrote a letter to the president of Stanford and questioned the legality of this," she said. "Our president informed Stanford's administration that what they were doing was actually encouraging illegal activities."

So what can students and academic institutions do to protect themselves from litigation or disciplinary action resulting from copyright infringement?

Movie studios, recording labels and other industries affected by piracy are trying to grow with the times. Contributing to alternatives to illegal downloading and creating technology that consumers would be willing to pay for is one way they are moving on without giving up the fight.

"By the end of the year, the five major movie studios are hoping to have sites that allow either downloaded or streaming videos to be viewed for a price," Yokitas said.

But what about students who know their way around software like audioGnome, WinMX, Kazaa and Morpheus better than they know their way around campus?

"The best thing to do is get in touch with the school's policy on use of copyrighted materials," Yokitas said.

And fortunately for students, that information can be found -- where else -- the Internet.

Smythe wants students to be aware of ATN's informational Web site, designed to give students access to the agreements they've already made when they signed up for their ONYEN and the stipulations to those agreements they may not have seen yet.

Based on questions from students, the site is designed to inform students that all copyrighted materials illegally obtained -- and especially all materials obtained for commercial use -- are grounds for disciplinary action.

The above information can be found at http://www.unc.edu/policy/copyright.html.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.