As is well known, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is committed to stopping the illegal downloads of music by college students.   In targeting 17 students at the University of Oregon, the RIAA sent subpoenas to the University in order to secure evidence from the University’s computer system.   The University, whose long time President Dave Frohnmayer is the former Attorney General of Oregon, responded by Attorney General Hardy Myers' office going to federal court and moving to block the subpoenas by asserting that they were “overbroad and burdensome.”  

In documents filed in the court and signed by Deputy Attorney General Peter Shepard, the state asserted that “the university’s efforts thus far have been met by accusations that it is obstructing the process and even conspiring with law breakers.  Those accusations are not warranted.  The record in this case suggests that the larger issue may not be whether students are sharing copyrighting music, but whether investigative and litigation strategies are appropriate.” 

In an interview, Shepard told the Associated Press that “we do not think the university can be compelled to produce investigative work for the recording industry.”