EMS, Police Protect Drunks' Identities Files from Their Home Pages Rather Web Publishers

13 1916 Friday, December 5, 1997 1 by Greg E. Norman the Web site or working with the HIRKMIf K KDITOKIAI. STAKK complaining companiesLJawyers to find another solution. Students who use trademarks, Bass said the student is ultimately logos and song excerpts on their responsible for content on his or her Web pages may be committing seri- page. The university provides server ous copyright violations, risking space but bears no legal responsibil- fines of,up to $100,000, Assistant. ity for what is posted on pages cre- Dean of Student Judicial Programs ated by students. Patty Bass said. Rice does not police student Web "We have been becoming more pages for possible copyright concerned because of complaints of violations. The official copyright violations that have been lodged policy, which can be found on-line against Rice students by a number at httpZ/riceinfo. rice.edu/about/ of different companies," Bass said. copyright.html, states that Rice "will Two recent instances have drawn not exercise prior restraint on WWW attention to the copyright policy. publishers' decisions with regard to >1 Ilie Recording Industries Associa- copyright. However, we will respond tion of America located two Rice to complaints from outside the uni- Web sites that contained copy- versity, and take action to remove righted songs and sent "cease and copyright-violating materials which desist" letters to the Rice University are brought to our attention." Counsel's office. A group of Rice faculty, led Assis- "RIAA, represented by their law tant University Librarian for Library vers, the Anti-Piracy Council, com- Information Technology Kay Mow- HtMMY SO/RlCt TMRPSMIf • Terri Lebron, bassist and lead vocalist for local Houston band Schrasj, Jams at KTRU Tuesday night. The live plained that the sites contained full- ers, is working on revising the copy- performance was one of their first since reuniting several weeks ago. length songs that could be down- right policy to better cover on-line loaded by other users," University publishing issues. Along with revis- Counsel Joe Davidson said. ing the policy, Flowers said that she The sites, one of which contained wants to develop educational mate- over 100 songs, removed the audio rial to explain the issues to student EMS, police protect drunks' identities files from their home pages rather Web publishers. than face litigation. "We don't think anyone is pur- r ';; |§iv "We want the students to know posefully violating the policy or the by Usman Baber do try to be as lenient as is "legally possible," he said . ; that they may be unintentkmaUy vio- law. Hie university community is THRESHER EOrmUAI. STAFF they cannot turn their heads when faced with flagrant • lating the copyright laws, and this is just not as well-informed as they violations. a serious matter," Bass said. could be," Flowers sakl. "We are Rice students should not be concerned about serious Both EMS officers and Husley said their main re So far, no Rice student has been trying to develop educational mate- punishment or other negative repercussions when call- sponsibility is to offer aid to intoxicated students, either sued for copyright infringement. rials and workshops to help spread ing Emergency Medical Services to help an intoxicated through medical means or disciplinary actions. "We've been able to avoid litigation the word." friend. "Even though I disagree with underage drinking, 1 on all of this — either by stopping Additionally, the RIAA is pub- Rice EMS captain Noah Reiter said, "If you're con believe this policy provides a safety net for those who do the violation orconvincing the orga- lishing a guide to Internet copyright cerned enough to approach me, then worrying about choose to drink," Lovett College freshman James nizatioionthan that \w e aren't violating their issues. Bass said that the guide will what punishment may or may not be given is not worth Eubankssaid."! think this policy is important it it means copyrights,rights," Davidson said. be available to the Rice community jeopardizing a life." that people will get medical attention if they need it." Companies who fear that Web during the spring semester. In the past, students have expressed concern about Husley said the recent increase in alcohol violations page designers are misusing their Hanzsen college computer asso contacting EMS because patients' names were given to is not attributed solely to Rice students but in a law copyrighted property use Internet ciatejohn Cloudman said that most Campus Police, and this might have led to disciplinary part to non-Rice students using areas on the campus to programs—called bots—to search students don't really know that they action through the University Court. However, EMS get together and drink. Also, of the 1249 cases reported Web pages for infringements. may be violating the copyright laws, Lieutenant Richard Escott said that a new policy which to the EMS from Oct. 4, 19% through Sept. K>. 199'/,. When a company discovers a especially when the infringement is began six weeks ago keeps patients' names confidential only 19 were alcohol cases. copyright violation on a page main- as minor as putting a company's logo unless a "police incident" is created. Any reports generated from these cases were then tained by a Rice student, it contacts on your page. "Anything that has a Incidents that warrant police involvement include forwarded to the University Court and Assistant Dean Office of the General Counsel or the copyright you can't legally put on acts of aggression by the intoxicated person and acts of Student Judicial Affairs Patricia Bass to determine Office of Student Judicial Programs. your Web page without contacting where obvious criminal activity is involved, These are whether or not a violation of the alcohol policy had These offices refer the complainant the company," he said. instances over which EMS has no control, Escott said. occurred. to the User Services Department of Hanzsen senior Dan Lajiness, Rice Campus Police Corporal Les Husley said that Publicly intoxicated students might receive 10 hours • j» M Information Technology. User Ser- who has created his own homepage, when Campus Police officers do accompany EMTs to of community service and a disciplinary warning, and vices visits the page in question to was unaware of how strict Rice's the scene of a call, their function is not to arrest or report underage students found drinking can receive 10 hours a determine if the material allegedly copyright policy is. "I'm not that anyone, but rather to aid in-transport or to meet, ambu- of community service, a disciplinary warning, manda- in violation of copyright laws is worried about my own site, because lances. 0 tory counseling and an evaluation. posted on the site: I only have a few small pictures. 1 Also, if a campus police officer does encounter an University Court Chair Brandy Rutan said the II. "We get complaints through the have don't have anything on there intoxicated student on campus, a police report will not Court does consider mitigating circumstances, and just% Counsel's office, and what we do is thaf would cause a big deal," Lajiness necessarily be filed on the person. because a police report is'generated on a person it does see if the complaint is valid. If some- said. "But I've worked on other pages Instead, the officer might contact a flrunksitter or an not mean that.a violation has occurred. "Definitely thing does need to removed, we that borrowed from other Web sites EMT for medical assistance, and the name of the stu- contact the EMTs to help [a drunk person), because it block access to the site from out- quite a bit." dent could be given to the master. is their policy and Campus Police policy that they will 111 side the Rice community," Director Bass said that Rice is trying to Husley said, however, that once a master is notified not warrant a report," she said of User Services Andrea Martin said. work with"companies to help pre- about an intoxicated student, any further disciplinary Eubanks said, "If I thought [a drunk person] was in At this point, the student has the vent- students from breaking actions concerning that student are no longer in the harm's way, I'd turn them in. One's personal safety is option of removing the material from copyright laws. control of the Campus Police, Although Campus Police more important than any action the school could take." Rice cable channel airs international news variety of videos, primarily adver- The board's jnajor plan for the by Eunice Song tisements for plays, parties and other OPINION Page 2 IHRE9HKR STAH" WRI11 R near future is to raise money through Anastasia opens functions. fundraisers and requests for a blan- CODOHad provokes responses Hie student-ru n Rice Cable chan- In the future, when the number ket tax of about $2 to $3 taken from at area theaters nel is up and running, airing video of videos exceeds playing time, the a portion of each student's tuition. SPORTS Page 12 advertisements for Rice events and five-member board heading the Hie board also set up a booth at Twentieth Century Fox pre- An Ode to golf at Herman Hark television news for the first time. cable channel project will have to be the Holiday Bazaar in the Grand sents the charming story of Rice has had cable channels 2,5 and more discerning when deciding Hall Thursday to help earn funds for young love, lost family mem- Saturday 11 since 1995, but campus lectures which videos to air. various camera equipment. bers and powerful sorcery, all - % * and the Rice Web page were the The board hopes, with commit- Another agenda item is raising set against the backdrop one of' Partly cloudy, 43 57" * Sunday £ ; only programs aired until now^ ment from Rice students, that the more publicity about the channel the bloodiest revolutions in $ Mostly sunny, a great day for touch I^ast week's debut of the cable channel could 1m? home to regularly itself and encouraging students to modern history (ootball in the front yard.

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