U of R, Cornell receive pre-litigation letters from RIAA

The association that represents major record companies sent legal notices to 22 people at the University of Rochester for illegal music downloads.The university is one of more than 20 schools that received notices this week from the Recording Industry Association of America. The R-I-A-A is in the middle of a nationwide crackdown against illegal music sharing over the internet. The association says 22 e-mail accounts at the University of Rochester are linked to illegal downloads. Whether student or university employee, they want the account holders to pay a settlement. Otherwise, the R-I-A-A says it will sue them for copyright infringement. University spokeswoman Sharon Dickman says the university forwarded the notices to those account holders, and they’re on their own. The R-I-A-A is also going after 19 students at Cornell University.