Oakland, Jan. 7, 2005 -- The University of California (UC), in coordination with the California State University (CSU), issued a solicitation for proposals from vendors offering online music and movie services. The solicitation intends to leverage the size of both systems to provide multiple competitive choices for campuses electing to offer online entertainment services to faculty, staff and students. The two higher-education systems together encompass more than 600,000 students and nearly 200,000 faculty and staff.

Universities across the country are facing increasing pressure to curb the practice of individuals distributing digital files of copyrighted songs and movies without permission on university networks. Providing access to legal, online entertainment services is seen as a long-term deterrent to this practice.

“At the University of California we are in a unique position to recognize the importance of the entertainment industry to the economies of the state, the nation and the world. And as creators of intellectual property ourselves, we are strongly committed to respecting copyright and raising awareness among our own community about appropriate methods for accessing online entertainment,” said UC President Robert C. Dynes.

UC currently uses a wide range of tactics to both reduce illegal file sharing and maintain the free flow of information on campus, including: educational campaigns, network management, removal of infringing material upon notice of copyright violation, and judicial processes for violators. By providing legal online entertainment services, UC and CSU will have an additional tool for addressing the problem.

For more on UC’s systemwide policies: http://www.ucop.edu/irc/policy/copyright.

For UCOP educational tools developed for campuses on file-sharing: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/shareright.