Lawrence, Kan. - The University of Kansas is refusing to forward pre-litigation settlement letters from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to its students, claiming the action could constitute a breach of student privacy, The University Daily Kansan reported.

The RIAA sent a new batch of 408 pre-litigation letters to U.S. colleges earlier this month, including 14 intended for KU students; the letters offer campus network users alleged to have committed copyright infringement through file-sharing the opportunity to settle the claims before a lawsuit is officially filed.

Jenny Mehmedovic, the school's coordinator for information technology and planning, told the Kansan that, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the school has no obligation to forward the letters to students, and furthermore will not release identifying information without a court order or subpoena.

The statement comes a little over a week after the university instituted a new "one-strike" policy for campus downloaders, where anyone caught downloading copyrighted material will be permanently banned from residence hall computer networks.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/227u7m (Daily Kansan)

http://tinyurl.com/2f4go9 (DMW previous coverage)

http://www.riaa.org