• New York Times, Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:15 PM

The Recording Industry Association of America better watch out: a new kind of fraternity is popping up at college campuses that advocates looser copyright law restrictions and free information exchange over the Internet. Called Students for Free Culture, the group has chapters at more than 35 colleges across the country. "We will listen to free music, look at free art, watch free film and read free books," reads the manifesto from its Web site, freeculture.org. "We refuse to accept a future of digital feudalism."

Many founding members of the various chapters have been sued before by the RIAA for downloading music illegally. Said one, "the technology has outpaced the law," which means that it's time for Congress to revisit copyright law and come up with something new that makes sense. As Cory Doctorow, co-editor of the technology blog Boing Boing, says the RIAA suits aren't "scaring students away from file-sharing, but scaring them into political consciousness." As one SFFC member points out, students aren't protesting the Iraq war because there isn't a draft, but with copyright suits, they are directly affected.

For better or for worse, it's the ultimate in grassroots consumer politics: students are organizing demonstrations in front of record stores and hosting "iPod liberation" parties where they share software that breaks Apple's digital rights management. Chapters hold forums to discuss copyright issues and developments, deconstructing the ethics of "stealing" music. Meanwhile, there's a war going on...

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