Parents Want Colleges to Encourage Legal Downloading by Students, According to New Survey by College Parents of America

Parents Want Colleges to Encourage Legal Downloading by Students, According to New Survey by College Parents of America

ARLINGTON, Va., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey just conducted by College Parents of America in partnership with Ruckus Networks reveals that parents of college students are concerned over the risks their children face for illegally downloading music, movies and videos from the Internet, and believe their children's schools have some level of responsibility for encouraging legal alternatives.

The survey, conducted among more than 650 parents of current or soon-to-be college students, shows that nearly all parents -- 98% -- are aware that their children use their computers for entertainment purposes -- from listening to music, watching movies/videos and playing games to socializing and accessing news and information.

According to the survey, among the most popular of these activities was listening to music, with 89% of the parents indicating that their children used their computers to do so. Around 57% of parents reported that their children were downloading music and/or videos on their computers while the remaining 43% either indicated that their children were not downloading music and videos online or responded that they didn't know.

In recent years, many college and university students have faced fines, lawsuits and probationary measures taken by their schools after the discovery of illegal downloading activities by the Recording Industry Association of America, which works to protect the intellectual property rights of artists worldwide. The College Parents of America survey showed that 94% of parents expressed an understanding of the legal actions that can be taken against their children for illegally downloading music and movies.

When asked whose responsibility it is to encourage legal downloading of entertainment, 87% of parents believe they hold responsibility to discourage illegal file sharing by their children. Nearly the same percentage of parents -- 82% -- believe colleges and universities share in that responsibility and would expect them to take measures to promote legal downloading if options and resource were available. Three of every four parents surveyed believe that these options currently exist.

"Having watched their children grow up with a keyboard at their fingertips, parents know that their kids will inevitably turn to their computers for entertainment," said James Boyle, President, College Parents of America. "And parents also know that downloading music is easy, prevalent and often illegal. These days, colleges and universities can offer alternatives that are just as easy and available, but more importantly to parents, legal."

One such alternative is Ruckus Networks, a service that offers music and movies legally through direct relationships with record labels and Hollywood studios. College Parents of America and Ruckus recently formed a partnership with the mission to educate parents on safe and legal file sharing and to provide news and information to parents about the rapidly evolving industry that is impacting their children's lifestyles

The survey generated responses from over 650 parents of students attending public and private colleges and universities, as well as a small percentage attending public two-year colleges or high schools.

About College Parents

College Parents of America is the nation's only membership organization dedicated to advocating for and providing practical information to parents of current and college-bound students. College Parents of America, based in Arlington, Virginia, also provides discounts on a broad variety of educational and consumer products to help members save money while their children prepare for, apply to and make the transition to college.

About Ruckus

Ruckus is the premiere digital entertainment network designed specifically for college students. The Ruckus experience blends college students' top interests -- friends and entertainment -- to create a strong sense of community at universities across the country. Whether looking for a roommate with similar interests or someone who enjoys R & B as much as they do, Ruckus members are able to find friends through media and media through friends. Today, the Ruckus service is available to hundreds of thousands of U.S. college students and is quickly becoming the brand of choice for higher education institutions nationwide. For more information, please go to http://www.ruckus.com/.

Source: Ruckus Networks

CONTACT: Alisha Martin of DBC Public Relations Experts, +1-202-298-7600
x207, Alisha@dbcpr.com, for Ruckus

Web site: http://www.ruckus.com/

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