College students are getting an important lesson this fall on the value of protecting intellectual property through honoring copyrights.

In the wake of the successful lawsuits filed by the Recording Industry Association of America against students at Princeton University in New Jersey; Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich., and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., for operating song-swapping Internet sites on university servers, and in response to multiple similar lawsuits expected to be filed this fall, many colleges are taking a pro-active approach to educating and warning students about copyright infringement and piracy.

Schools like UCLA are distributing brochures, running ads in student newspapers and putting up school Web sites to discourage students from file-swapping over high-speed campus Internet connections. UCLA even is addressing the issue during student orientation and will be following up with mass e-mails.

It's a good thing. There is a world of difference between copying a tape for a friend and mass distribution of copyright material over the World Wide Web. The music industry primarily blames the practice for the 25 percent drop in CD sales since 1999.

The argument that these folks "have enough money' to justify stealing their works doesn't wash either. Since when does it matter how wealthy or affluent a person is? Theft is theft, and it's wrong.

The concept of intellectual property rights is an issue that has been argued for a long time. Generally, the arguments for copyrights have been upheld by the courts.

We protect inventors from people who would steal their designs and mass-produce their products for profits, so why wouldn't we protect the creative output of artists in the same way?

The music industry has begun to embrace pay-for-music download services that don't rip off the artists. Starting Oct. 1, Universal Music Group, responsible for almost 30 percent of all album sales in the United States and representing top artists like Sheryl Crow and Eminem, plans to slash the prices it recommends distributors charge for even their top-selling CDs, hoping to lure consumers back to the stores.

These are good steps to encourage album shoppers to pay for the music they enjoy. But the colleges' move to educate and pro-actively discourage students' use of their equipment to steal music is a much needed and respectable approach. If any place should be the bastion of intellectual property rights, the university, where the greatest minds in the United States develop and work, should be that place.

SODA JERKS
Banning soft drinks at school good deal

Schools are not the place to promote a sugar rush.

So, what's the big deal about having sodas in the lunch room? So, they have no nutritional value. So, they contribute to tooth decay. So, there's enough sugar in a regular soda to give your child a sugar rush for most of the afternoon, to say nothing of the caffeine found in many of them.

So, what's the problem with that? Plenty.

A bill to ban the sale of sodas to students at elementary schools and restrict sales of the drinks at middle schools has gone to Gov. Gray Davis' desk for his signature.

Only milk, water and juice drinks that are at least half fruit with no added sweeteners will be offered to elementary school students. Junior highs and middle schools could offer those beverages, as well as electrolyte-replacing sports drinks.

California, always the lead trend setter, would be the first state to adopt such a ban.

And that would be a good thing.

Leading the way toward promoting a healthier lifestyle for our children is a plus. We show the rest of the country that we care enough about our kids to monitor what they eat when they're at school.

As adults, we need to take responsibility for making the school setting a safe and healthy place to learn.

Offering nutritious food and drink to schoolchildren who may or may not have the same standards at home gives them the opportunity to learn about good eating habits and nutrition. There's no sound reason to give kids unfettered access to soft drinks when they're at school.