Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG, the members of the Big 4 Organized Music cartel, deserve a well-earned pat on the back.

Their RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has convinced Mizzou, aka the University of Missouri-Columbia, that it's responsible for looking after Big 4 interests vis-�-vis the corporate inspired DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).

And that means shutting down access to any and all p2p services.

"Students, faculty and staff using MU�s TigerNet campus network can no longer access peer-to-peer file sharing networks, often used to illegally download copyrighted media," says the Missourian, the university's online newspaper.

The school's information and access technology services' "educational efforts" to "stop illegal downloading and file sharing via MU�s network have proven ineffective," says chief information officer Beth Chancellor in an e-mail to account holders, quoted in the story.

She goes on, "As your network provider, IAT Services is responsible for protecting copyrighted works as outlined in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act."

One of several factors leading up to the new policy was an increase in reported violations, with 122 in 2006 compared with 94 in 2005, the story has Missourian has division of information technology spokesman Terry Robb saying.

"When folks were caught violating (the DMCA), we were notified by the copyright authority. We would have to take action and ultimately block the violator�s network access. It takes a tremendous amount of staff time on our part to block students and educate them as well."
ACiD Reviewed by ACiD on . Mizzou shuts down file sharing Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG, the members of the Big 4 Organized Music cartel, deserve a well-earned pat on the back. Their RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has convinced Mizzou, aka the University of Missouri-Columbia, that it's responsible for looking after Big 4 interests vis-�-vis the corporate inspired DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). And that means shutting down access to any and all p2p services. "Students, faculty and staff using Rating: 5