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Enforcing our rights

To the Editor:

An editorial by The Daily Pennsylvanian's Opinion Board titled "Stand up to the RIAA" (4/21/08) deserves a response.

There's nothing novel or unique about the copyright infringement legal actions (lawsuits or pre-litigation letters) that we bring on behalf of the major record companies. They are based on solid and compelling evidence - public information collected from peer-to-peer sites like LimeWire where fans illegally trade copyrighted music. When we detect someone illegally "sharing" copyrighted songs we take note of the user's computer address and songs distributed. That becomes the basis of a pre-settlement letter.

We send these pre-settlement letters to universities and ask that the school forward the letter to the appropriate person. Why this particular process? In the past, some students have requested an opportunity to settle a potential case earlier and avoid a public mark on their record. Universities that forward these letters afford their students the opportunity to decide for themselves whether to settle at that stage. What good does it do for the school to sit on the letters? It simply forces us to formally initiate a lawsuit and deprives the student of the opportunity to consider an early settlement.

We recognize and appreciate the right for individuals to raise legitimate questions about what we do. But in the rhetorical nod to protecting "student rights," the rights of creators should not be trampled. Let us not forget that hundreds of artists have been dropped from rosters and new bands have been passed over due to music theft.

Why risk a lawsuit when there are so many great legal ways to get music? Students who ignore the vast array of affordable legal services in the marketplace - from services like Amazon.com, iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, imeem and more - are effectively thumbing their nose at the law and common sense.

We would prefer being in the studio - investing in talented artists who inspire in listeners something unique and creative with their music - than in the courtroom any day. But if students or any others continue to ignore countless warnings and great legal ways to get music, enforcing our rights is a step we will be forced to take. Cara Duckworth The author is a communications director for the Recording Industry Association of America Offending everyone To the Editor:

I'm an atheist. I think that most religions are trivial exercises. As a self-proclaimed comedy connoisseur, my desire for good humor knows no politically correct limits. I think in a perfect society, we would all rip on each other, have a laugh and forget about it.

However, I found Mr. Saska's comment: "make jokes at the expense of Scientology. It's so easy," to be quite jarring.

While I agree that Scientology should be made fun of like all religions (including Atheism), I think Mr. Saska and the DP came off as bigoted in their attack launched specifically against Scientology. Had Mr. Saska made the same comment about Christianity, Judaism or Islam, an editor would have frantically deleted it.

To single Scientology out as a trivial religion is to dehumanize those who believe in it. And for what? Because the stuff about Lord Xenu is slightly more far-fetched than the stories found in the Bible, Torah, and the Koran? The DP must decide whether it will offend everyone or no one. Jack Meyerhoff College senior Going Green

To the Editor:

I teach two green-building related courses at Temple University through the School of Real Estate. I am delighted that you have discovered there are alternatives to LEED ratings. Green Globes has been extremely successful in Canada and is much more cost efficient. Then, of course, there is Energy Star, which rates your building on energy efficiency.

It is very important to discover what is "out there" before a rush to judgement is made on one evaluation system or the other. Obviously, marketing is a key factor here. And as you know, there is a lot of marketing in play when it comes to the selling of the Green. Leah Erickson The author is a faculty member at Temple University's Real Estate Institute

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