Mr. Jason Hardin: Trinity University's Copyright Guru

On February 11, 2010, Jason Hardin, Manager of Access Service at Trinity University gave an informative presentation about copyright issues in the realm of technology. He covered everything from the history behind copyright law, to the wording of the statute, to what the exact United States mandates prohibit. Mr. Hardin further adressed an issue facing every college student in America: illegal music downloading. He stated that he believed motion picture and music recording industries are suing college students at an increasingly common rate because downloading illegally since they have a limited budget, but an ever-present desire for new music.

In order to minimize the amount of students that find themselves in this dilemma, Trinity University has enacted the Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008). Provisions that fall under this act are:

1) There must be an annual disclosure made to students regarding campus and copyright policy, 2)There must be a plan developed to combat un-authorized file sharing

3)Must implement a system to provide alternatives to illegal downloading

So, what is a college student in need of the latest song supposed to do? In Mr. Hardin's vast opinion on copyright infringement, he suggests steering clear of any illegal downloading. Even though it's accessible, easy and free, in the end, it just isn't worth it. And, I have to say, that I agree. In the long run, it will be cheaper to buy the song for $1.29 on iTunes, instead of risking getting caught in a messy lawsuit of illegal downloading and forced to pay $1,290 per song acquired.

Mr. Jason Hardin: Trinity University's Copyright Guru by Larissa Lozano is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.