Water Cooler Fodder

For those of you looking to procrastinate at work (or any other time), here's some reading material for Trojan fans in the know:

• It's just come to light that USC running backs coach Todd McNair has a rap sheet for cruelty to dogs. Good news for McNair: UCLA's wide receivers coach recently had a questionable past revealed, and got to keep his job. Bad news for McNair: Michael Vick put this issue in the hot seat, and this might not blow over very well in the court of public opinion.
• Todd Marinovich pulled a Todd Marinovich over the weekend. The former USC football star was allegedly carrying a gram of meth, a metal spoon and a hypodermic needle. It's certainly not the first time he's been arrested for drugs. What might be a first for Marinovich ... he was caught because he was skateboarding in a no-skateboarding zone by Newport Pier.
• Trojans should have an advantage in next year's Olympics after training in the Los Angeles smog.
• In case of emergency, check your cellphone. USC has a new system to send alerts to people on campus during a major emergency situation. Even if you're not a student, staff or faculty member, you may want to sign up if you spend lots of time watching the football team practice. You know who you are.
• PSU is using PS3 to teach their quarterbacks the playbook. It wasn't JoePa's idea, but we know some players at USC like video games, too.
• A forum member on WeAreSC.com posed the question, "What's better than a Song Girl?" His own answer ... "Wet Song Girls."
• Another poster noticed that Sports Illustrated had some trouble with basic math. Apparently, Pac 10 football teams should have a record of 41-49 against other Pac 10 football teams this season. Huh?
• USC students received a nice little e-mail from the administration explaining the ins-and-outs of copyright infringement. About 1,370 words of not-so-light reading are after the jump, if you're so inclined.

From: ITS Announcement <its-announce@usc.edu>
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:51:32 -0700
Subject: Copyright Infringement Notice
To: consult@usc.edu

Dear Student:

This email is being sent to all students at the University of Southern
California to provide information about the lawful use of copyrighted
materials on USC's computing networks and facilities, particularly in the
context of file sharing, and to provide information on legally downloading
music and movies.  It is not intended to be a comprehensive treatment of the
copyright laws.

The University of Southern California is committed to the education of its
students.  Over the past few years, USC has increased its efforts to make
students aware of the policies that govern the use of its computing facilities
and systems, encouraging the responsible use of USC computing resources.
These efforts include providing information about copyright laws, particularly
with regard to file sharing.  Over the past several years, many students from
USC and other universities have ignored information like this provided to them
and, as a result, have been sued and forced to pay thousands of dollars in
financial settlements for infringing on the copyrights of music and movie
companies.

You should be aware that in recent years, copyright holders and their trade
associations (especially the Recording Industry Association of America [RIAA]
and the Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA] trade associations) have
aggressively pursued copyright holders' rights and at times have focused on
university students.

In general, copyright infringement occurs whenever someone makes a copy of any
copyrighted work--such as songs, videos, software, cartoons, photographs,
stories, novels--without permission (i.e., a license) from the copyright owner
and without falling within the specific exceptions provided for under the
copyright laws.  These exceptions include, without limitation, "fair use,"
which is briefly described below, and provisions of the Audio Home Recording
Act, which allow for noncommercial copying of lawfully acquired music onto
recordable compact discs (CD-Rs).

In order to protect both the university and our students from legal actions,
we want to help students better understand the acts that constitute violations
of federal copyright law, especially with regard to peer-to-peer (P2P)
networks.  By using USC's Internet access to access, download, upload, and
otherwise share copyrighted materials without permission, without making a
fair use, and without falling under another exception to copyright law,
students are likely infringing copyright laws.  A student who infringes
copyright laws may be risking a lawsuit by the copyright holder, loss of
access to the USC computer system, and disciplinary action by USC.

File Sharing and Copyright

P2P computing is a powerful technology and has many uses.  P2P networks can be
used to share and exchange music, movies, software, and other electronic
materials.  The use of P2P networks to download or share copyrighted material,
such as movies, music, and software, can violate the rights of copyright
owners.

In the P2P file-sharing context, infringement may occur, for example, when one
person purchases an authorized copy and then uploads it to a P2P network. When
a student purchases a CD, creates an MP3 or other digital copy, and then uses
a P2P network to share that digital copy with others, both the student and
those making copies may be found to have infringed the rights of the copyright
owner(s) and may be violating federal copyright law.  Although some artists
and smaller labels release music under "generous" licenses, such as Creative
Commons licenses, all of the major labels consider sharing MP3 files of their
music over P2P networks as copyright infringement.

USC prohibits any infringement of intellectual property rights by any member
of the USC community.  It is USC policy to avoid any participation in the
violation of the intellectual property rights of others.  The USC policy
regarding student use of USC computing resources, which can be found at
http://www.usc.edu/its/policies/student/, clearly states that a student who
reproduces or distributes copyrighted materials in electronic form in
violation of copyright laws may lose his or her computing account and
privileges from the USC and may face further disciplinary action.

The possible negative consequences of copyright infringement are not limited
to discipline by USC--infringing conduct exposes the infringer to the risk of
serious legal penalties.  Organizations such as the RIAA and the MPAA monitor
P2P networks, obtaining "snapshots" of users' Internet protocol (IP)
addresses, the files that users are downloading or uploading from their P2P
directories, the time that downloading occurs, and the Internet service
provider (ISP) through which the files travel.  Copyright owners have been
known to target both "uploaders" (those who make music available over the P2P
network) and "downloaders" (those who only download from the network).  In
addition to monitoring networks and obtaining IP address "snapshots,"
copyright owners have been known to use P2P networks themselves, uploading
copyrighted content while keeping a legal record of the downloading actions of
other users.

Once an IP address and other information have been obtained, the RIAA, MPAA,
and other copyright owners and their representatives can file a "John Doe"
lawsuit and issue a subpoena to the ISP demanding the identity of the user
connected to that IP address.

As an ISP for its students and faculty, USC receives notices from RIAA and
MPAA identifying the IP addresses of USC account holders believed to be
sharing copies of copyrighted music and videos without authorization.  USC
reserves the right to demand that the infringing conduct cease immediately;
where necessary, USC will revoke the identified individual's access to the USC
computer system.  In serious situations, further disciplinary sanctions may
also be appropriate.

The RIAA or MPAA often presents an option for the alleged illegal file sharer
to settle the lawsuit out of court for some amount of money.  If the user is
determined to have infringed copyrights, whether through P2P networks or other
means, and has not settled, he or she can also be subject to sanctions such as
monetary damages and the required destruction of all unauthorized copies.  In
certain circumstances, federal authorities can criminally prosecute copyright
infringement.

Fair Use

Copyright law provides no blanket exception from liability for university
students based solely upon their status as students. There are limited
circumstances where use of copyrighted materials without permission is
allowable.  One of these circumstances is under the legal doctrine of "fair
use," such as for purposes of news reporting, criticism, commentary or
teaching.  Whether use of copyrighted material without permission is "fair
use" depends on a very detailed, case-by-case analysis of various factors.

There Is an Alternative: Legal Downloading

USC has an agreement with Ruckus, a digital entertainment network designed to
provide students with a legal way to explore, share, and download music and
movies.  Under USC's agreement with Ruckus, students may stream music for free
and purchase music downloads at a discounted price.  For more information,
please go to http://www.usc.edu/its/ruckus.  Of course, there are other legal
digital entertainment providers that you may also wish to use.

When you buy music or movies online or buy a CD or DVD, it is important to
understand the answers to the following questions:

1) What permissions come with the product? As explained above, the copyright
holder has the right to decide how restrictive to be (with a few exceptions,
such as fair use).  These range from very broad Creative Commons permissions,
which allow for redistribution under certain conditions, to very restrictive
requirements, which allow play on only one machine, or allow only streaming,
etc.  It is incumbent upon you to understand the permissions.

2) What digital restrictions, if any, are used with the product?  Many
services use digital rights management (DRM) technology to control the use of
the music or other digital works they sell.  DRM usually reflects the
permissions and can range from allowing unlimited burns to CD to preventing
any copying at all.  DRM models can also limit what kind of devices you can
play the music on.  DRM with a subscription-based model may render the music
unplayable if the subscription is not maintained.  Some services do not use
DRM.

In concluding, you need to be aware that sharing music, videos, software, and
other copyrighted material may be a violation of law and can expose you and
those with whom you share materials to legal sanctions.  Please be responsible
in your use of copyrighted materials.

Sincerely,

Ilee Rhimes
Chief Information Officer
Vice Provost for Information Technology Services

Sincerely,

Michael L. Jackson
Vice President for Student Affairs

Comments

[W]

What's the link to the SI Preview? I thought it was an interesting catch but when I checked it added up to 45-45

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/specials/preview/2007/scouting/pac-10.html

[Adam Rose]

The mistake is in the print edition. The online edition reflects a number of corrections. Oregon, Washington State, Arizona State, and Washington were all improved by one game in conference, and Oregon and Washington were also improved by one game overall.

[LA Bus Girl]

That email, which I also got, scared the piss out of me until I realized I wasn't being sued.

[Jason]

Actually, in regards to Marinovich's arrest, believe it or not, this arrest is probably not the weirdest way in which he was arrested.

When he was popped in 2005 (also in Newport Beach), he was found in a public bathroom with drug paraphanelia, then attempted to flee officers by stealing a children's bicycle.

Once caught (only a few block aways; you'd think for a former athlete maybe he'd be able to outrun them at least a little longer), he listed his official profession as 'unemployed artist' and 'anarchist'.