The Motion Picture Association of America recently admitted to a “human error” that overestimated the amount of illegal downloading by college students, prompting mixed reactions from Boston University students.

The MPAA hired L.E.K. Consulting to conduct an Internet piracy study in 2005 and 2007. The overall results of both studies were similar except for in one category — the number of piracy cases committed by college students, an MPAA spokesperson said.

“The 2005 study had incorrectly concluded that 44 percent of the motion picture industry’s domestic losses were attributable to piracy by college students. The 2007 study will report that number to be approximately 15 percent — or nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in stolen content annually by college students in the US,” an MPAA press release states.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said BU prohibits illegal downloading of any kind. Riley said he hopes anyone using BU computers or BU Internet is not downloading illegally.

“We’re happy to see that college students are not any different than others out there who engage in those practices,” Riley said. “At the same time, it’s wrong, and we certainly encourage students not to put themselves at risk.”

College of Arts and Sciences senior Jamie Kapelson said she does not personally download, but she does not have a problem with those who do.

“It’s easy, convenient and you can get access to all the movies you want,” she said.

Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences senior Arjun Mahendra said he used to download during his freshman year, but he stopped when people started getting in trouble.

“I had a friend who had to go to court because she downloaded music illegally,” he said. “She had to hire a lawyer, and it was messy. I didn’t want to get involved with that. I don’t think anyone would.”

College of Communication senior Chad Boldini is studying in Los Angeles with the BU internship program for film. He said he’s not sure what to think of the error.

“It seems just like the MPAA did the easy thing by blaming it on college students,” he said in an email.

The MPAA spokesperson said the association still believes that piracy is a problem for the U. S. economy and its workers, adding that even though college students are responsible for less than the original report announced, illegal downloading in the college community is still a problem.

“The latest data confirms that college campuses are still faced with a significant problem,” the press release states. “Although college students make up 3 percent of the population, they are responsible for a disproportionate amount of stolen movie products in this country.”

Boldini said he has become opposed to illegal pirating since he is entering the film industry, but he is not sure if the industry is affected as much as it claims.

“The industry is affected in some ways, but it’s really minimal,” he said. “The studios and the corporations that won them are extremely rich, and I don’t think they’re feeling the effects that much. People still enjoy going to the movies and renting and buying DVDs, and the evidence is in the revenue that is still produced each year.”