George Washington University usually receives five to 10 notices per week from the Recording Industry Association of America complaining that a specific song or movie is being illegally traded by a computer user on the campus. But in the past week alone, the university has received 123 notices.
Colleges and universities around the country are reporting similar increases in complaints from the industry group. Because most colleges investigate every incident and take action against the online pirates, the surge is putting a sudden strain on their resources as the semester winds down.