Earlier this week, an administrator sent an email to all University of Memphis students, reminding them of the University's strict policy regarding illegal downloading on the Memphis network.
Students who are caught violating the policy can face punishments such as loss of access to the University's Internet network as well as legal action.
Compliance with this policy is not an issue, according to U of M chief information officer and vice provost for information technology Ellen Watson.
"We have very good compliance with the policy," Watson said. "We are required to report if we have a certain number of illegal downloads."
The University has software that tracks every download and upload made on the network. According to the email, every time any type of file is downloaded or uploaded, the software keeps a record of the user's name, IP address and the name of the file.
Watson claimed that no students illegally download on the network but then went back on the statement.
"None do (download illegally). Not on our network. Once in a while something slips through, but we are very much in compliance with the law," Watson said.
It is rare for something to slip through, and the issue is not rampant said Watson.
The Daily Helmsman polled 24 students on the issue and, of the 24, 13 said that they did not have a problem with illegal downloading, and 15 said that they have illegally downloaded before. Additionally, six said that they have previously illegally downloaded on the Memphis network.
Watson has her reasons for her stance against illegal downloading.
"I think all of us understand that if we're an author or a musician it's fair for us to be compensated for our efforts. It's both an ethical and a legal responsibility," she said.
Students find themselves on both sides of the issue.
Freshman theater major Jerald Smith said he does not have a problem with illegal downloading. Smith has illegally downloaded free music off the Internet before, but said he has not done so on the University network.
Sophomore marketing major Garrett Brown has a different opinion about illegally downloading copyrighted material.
"Technically it's stealing," Brown said.
Brown also suggests that with the availability of subscription services people should not have a need to get their music illegitimately.
One of the more popular services similar to the ones Brown described is Spotify, which launched in 2008 and allows users to stream millions of songs for free with periodic advertisements. Users can pay a nominal fee per month to remove the advertisements and enable unlimited streaming from a mobile device.
Artists are paid a small amount each time their music is streamed on the service.
