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The article focuses on the Copyright Roadshow, a tour of college campuses by James Gibson, an assistant professor of law at the University of Richmond in Charlottesville, across the U.S. The ultimate message of his educational tour is that, no matter what students think of the entertainment industry, they have no legal or ethical right to swap music and movies. His tour is well timed since colleges are under pressure from the music and film industries and from some lawmakers to take stronger steps against piracy, which remains rampant on many campus networks.

Discusses the potential legal problems for colleges and universities with students using the song-swapping software, Napster. Computer network congestion that colleges have experienced as a result of the use of Napster; Lawsuit against Napster by the music recording industry; Concerns regarding copyright laws at colleges and universities.

The article reports on a meeting of officials from Illinois State University and other colleges with entertainment industry executives and lawyers to work out their differences on the issue of Internet music and movie piracy, a good deal of which transpires on college campuses. Prominent at the meeting and in the article are college library dean Cheryl A. Elzy and college technology consultant Warren Arbogast. As a result of the meeting, Illinois State launched the Digital Citizen Project, with partial financial backing from the entertainment industry, to study student file sharing habits over campus computer networks.

The article presents an interview with Joanna Demers, assistant professor of music history and literature, University of Southern California. Demers offers her views on the clash between the music industry's stringent view of copyright and musicians inspired by old sounds. She says that although legal threats have largely killed off unauthorized sampling in pop music, a thriving resistance to cease and desist letters from record-company lawyers has formed on the fringes of today's music scene. Demers feel that it's musicians who have to decide whether they want their work to be sampled or not. Their decision operates under the European system of intellectual property.

Reports on the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to consider an appeals-court ruling that stopped record companies from using a fast track legal process to force Internet-service providers to identify suspected music pirates. Provisions of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act; Background on an appeals-court ruling on a case filed by Verizon Communications Inc.; Views on the decision of the Supreme Court.

Presents news on higher education in the U.S. as of May 7, 2004. Effort of record companies to curtail campus music piracy; Reinterpretation of a privacy law by the Department of Education so students can consent online to the release of transcripts and other personal data.

Reports on the decision of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to use a computer software that disconnects from the campus network students accused of trading copyrighted songs or motion pictures. Violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act; Plan of the entertainment industry to make similar software available to small colleges; Remarks from James F. Davis, the associate vice chancellor of information technology at UCLA.

Reports on the decision of the U.S. Senate on a hearing into Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) demand for information on Internet users' identities from different colleges, as of October 2003. Law used by RIAA to identify people who allegedly downloaded illegal copies of music; Facts of the case; Various comments on the matter.

Reports on the warning issued by the Recording Industry Association of America to college students who download music in violation of copyright laws, as of October 2003. Reasons college students preferred download music; Reactions of college students to the warning.

Reports on the decision of the Recording Industry Association of America to start filing lawsuits in 2003 against students and hundreds of others whom the group accuses of pirating music online. Expectation of the group from the possible impact of their action; First step in the lawsuit-filing initiative of the group; Colleges that have recently received subpoenas.

Explains the campaign of lawsuits filed by the Recording Industry Association of America against people who violated copyright. College students who are focused of the campaign; Aim of the campaign; Content of a letter regarding the campaign given by association president Cary H. Sherman to U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.); Argument of the industry for suing a few violators.

Deals with the lack of concern about copyright from U.S. students who download music files, according to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Reaction from the Recording Industry Association of America; Other key findings of the survey.

Reports on the announcement of the Recording Industry Association of America in June 2003 that it will start gathering evidence to prepare lawsuits against individuals who offer substantial amounts of copyrighted music over online networks. Number of college students being sued by the industry; Steps that will be implemented by the industry to amass evidence of copyright violations; Features of the software that will be used to catch the violators.

Reports on the complaint of Texas Representative Lamar S. Smith on the indifference of college administrators on online piracy. Views of Smith on online music trading in the U.S.; Response of American Council on Education counsel Sheldon E. Steinbach on the complaint; Actions taken by universities on the problem.

Reports on the decision of the Recording Industry Association of America to send instant warning messages to users of file-sharing programs, as of May 2003. Objective of the effort; Details on the plan; Impact on college students.

Reports on the lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America against a number of college students for allegedly engaging in copyright infringement, as of April 2003. Students named in the lawsuit; Reaction from the concerned students and their college officials.

Discusses the ruling of U.S. Judge John D. Bates regarding the disclosure of the names of college students trading copyrighted songs in the U.S. Facts of the case filed by the Recording Industry Association of America against Verizon Communications; Reason behind the ruling of Bates; Views of college administrators on the ruling of Bates.

Presents a sample question on a test that students at the University of Virginia must pass to demonstrate knowledge of the rules of computing at the university. Question regarding the use of Napster for downloading audio files; Possibility that Napster constitutes copyright infringement.

Discusses the lawsuit filed by the rock band, Metallica, against three universities and Napster Inc. because of its MP3-sharing software. Allegations against Indiana University, University of Southern California, and Yale University that they encouraged students to pirate music; Details of the copyright case.