After denying allegations that he had electronically distributed copies of Norton AntiVirus numerous times over the past year, a Boston University student brought his computer to the Office of Information Technology last Friday in hopes of proving his innocence.
IT was unable to find any evidence against the student.
“I was asked to bring my computer in to see if the program was on my computer,” said the student, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “I spent about an hour talking with [Information Technology Consulting Services Director Jim Stone] and then they spent an hour looking through my computer.”
Stone said BU asked him to bring his computer to IT after the university received an official notice from an agency representing Norton. The notice documented several cases where antivirus software was illegally distributed from the student’s computer.
The student contested the accusation and said he used McAfee because it came on his computer and has never had other security software.
“He was not ordered to bring his computer in,” Stone said. “He could have refused. That fact is, there was very strong evidence against the student.”
After an extensive search of the student’s computer, IT could not find Norton on the computer.
“We couldn’t find the file, however there was enough evidence to indicate that it was on his computer at one point – whether he knew it or not – and that does not really matter if he knew it or not,” Stone said.
Stone said BU currently receives notices from 16 agencies that represent copyright holders. Once a notice is received, BU – as an internet service provider – is legally obligated to address the situation.
“The university does not go out bounty hunting our students,” he said. “If [the agencies are] wrong, I tell them to get off our student’s back. [But] in the five years I’ve been here, I have never yet found an agency that was wrong.”
BU General Council Robert Smith said there has only been one case where a BU student was targeted by an agency – in that case, it was the Recording Industry Association of America.
“It was not a lawsuit. It was a subpoena, and it was not brought to court,” he said. However, “there is the possibility of things going on without us knowing about it.”
There was one case where IT informed the wrong student of a file-sharing offense, Stone said. An IP address was accidentally assigned to another student.
Staff writer Steve Macone
contributed to this report.
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