Maybe summertime memories have you yearning to listen one more time to that ubiquitous Avril Lavigne track. Or maybe some Jay-Z would get you moving in the morning. Perhaps you'd like a few new Guster songs to get ready for the band's Oct. 4 concert at the Bryce Jordan Center. Whatever the genre, Penn State and Ruckus have it covered. And there are movies, too. In May, Penn State announced the University would begin supporting a new digital media entertainment service. The partnership is designed to provide all Penn State students with free access to the premium Ruckus service, while allowing the University to provide its students with a fully-featured and expanding digital entertainment service. Ruckus members have downloadable access to nearly 3 million songs, the ability to connect through social networks and the option to download full-length feature films, as well as short-form video, including action sports clips and music videos. So far, 13,592 Penn State students have already registered for Ruckus. (more)
With the arrival of Ruckus digital media entertainment at Penn State this fall, University students will have the ability to legally download millions of tracks of music, as well as full-feature films, action sports clips and music videos. But the switch to Ruckus has also generated a number of questions regarding how students can best preserve (and continue to use) tracks and playlists they've built via Napster, and other music services. Penn State has recently compiled a list of tips on how to preserve former playlists and perform track conversions quickly and easily. To learn more, follow the steps outlined in the following guidelines and visit the new Penn State Ruckus site at http://legalmedia.psu.edu online.
Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/24137(more)
Penn State will begin supporting this fall a new digital entertainment service, Ruckus from Ruckus Network Inc., throughout the University's 24 campuses. The newly signed contract is designed to provide all Penn State students with free access to the premium Ruckus service, while allowing the University to provide its students with a fully-featured and expanding digital entertainment service. Ruckus members have downloadable access to more than 2.75 million songs, the ability to connect through social networks and the option to download full-length feature films, as well as short-form video, including action sports clips and music videos. With the change to Ruckus, Penn State's agreement providing students with free access to the Napster music service ended May 31, 2007. "After carefully researching the offerings in the current digital music market, Penn State is pleased to announce that we have signed a contract with Ruckus Network Inc.," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "Napster helped Penn State greatly in taking a bold and ultimately successful step, but we believe the new Ruckus service will provide greater flexibility for the university marketplace going forward." (more)
Penn State President Graham B. Spanier, co-chair of the Committee on Higher Education and the Entertainment Industry, offered the following statement in light of Monday's (June 27) Supreme Court ruling in a case involving copyright issues. "The Supreme Court, in its unanimous ruling in the MGM v. Grokster case, has brought further clarity to the line between right and wrong when it comes to the theft of copyrighted works. At no time has our responsibility to address the problem of copyright infringement been greater than it is today. Although not directly involved in the high court's ruling, educational institutions would do well, in light of the decision, to examine their policies and practices surrounding the inappropriate use of university networks to access peer-to-peer services that are clearly intended to be used for the piracy of movies and music. We can and should raise awareness of copyright issues, teach our students about integrity, and prove that the higher education community values ethical behavior on its campuses. If we allow students to leave college without comprehending that piracy is wrong, we are failing a generation in more ways than one. Working with music and motion picture executives, the higher education community has made tremendous progress in addressing piracy on our college campuses. Yet there is considerable work still to be done." (more)
As the use of information technology expands in higher education, many faculty increasingly maintain collections of digital media that they use to inspire their students in the classroom. Regardless of the size of the collection or the type of media stored, the purpose is pretty much the same -- to create an environment where students want to learn. Realizing that peer-to-peer (P2P) technology offered unique opportunities to manage and exchange these files, Mike Halm, senior researcher in Information Technology Services at Penn State, and his team of researchers set out to develop an open-source software that could be used within the academic community to simplify the use of digital information by educators. Last week, that goal came one step closer to fruition, when Penn State and Internet2 developers released the open-source code for a new academic file-sharing technology, called LionShare, at the Internet2 Member Meeting in Austin, Texas. (more)
Penn State President Graham B. Spanier gave the U.S. Congress an update on the issue of peer to peer piracy on university campuses in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee this morning (Oct. 5). Spanier's testimony -- given to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property -- was his second such report to Congress on this issue. He appeared before the subcommittee on February 26, 2003, shortly after becoming co-chair of the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities. (more)
The 2003-2004 academic year saw significant change in approaches to accessing digital entertainment content on college and university campuses across the country. In light of the Subcommittee's requests for periodic updates, the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities is providing this report on the status of efforts to address the opportunities and challenges presented by digital copying and distribution of copyrighted works through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks and alternative means.
Colleges and universities continue to address these issues in several different ways, adopting new policies as well as technological and educational measures to maintain the integrity of the schools -- networks while ensuring a convenient, protected, and legal environment in which legitimate offerings can thrive. (more)
The Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities has submitted a report to the U.S. Congress outlining the progress made during the past academic year to address illegal file sharing on college campuses. The committee cites that significant development has occurred in the way colleges and universities have dealt with copyright infringement on their computer networks, primarily through progress in the creation of legitimate online services, education, enforcement and new technology. (more)
Maroon 5 and Britney Spears have earned numerous accolades from their respective recording careers, from Billboard No. 1 citations to regular play on MTV music video countdowns. Now, they can add the title of having the most popular songs among Penn State students during the 2004 spring semester, as compiled by the University's music service provider Napster. Of the more than half a million songs available, students downloaded and launched audio streams of Maroon 5's hit "This Love" more than any other song through the end of the spring semester April 30. Checking in a No. 2 on both the download and audio stream charts was Spears' longtime chart-topper "Toxic." (more)
Thousands of Penn State students have signed up for the Napster online music service since it was introduced to residence hall students on Jan. 12, and students are averaging more than 100,000 streams a day, according to Larry Linietsky, senior vice president for business development and analysis for Napster. Linietsky and Chris Siess, senior producer for Napster, were on Penn State's University Park campus today (Jan. 21) to demonstrate the service and answer questions about it.
For pictures, check http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2004_01_21_napster/index.html(more)
