Page 5B
[ATTALiot-
is Calen
day, Febraury 20, 2001
ocial Responsibility
ipla shows humanitarian concern, makes AIDS medication much cheaper
ie war against the AIDS epidemic plagu- vmmmmmmmmmm patents to these drugs, and they say Cipla is violating interna- .
uesday
Itedox Cbi
Kill have a:
i! All Faiths;;
tology Soc;
sst speaker
80 p.m.
■Investmi
meeting a!:|
jsh. There.
1 Fidelity si;
(tstment
jS h lot. R Ifhe war against the AIDS epidemic plagu-
i call Laurel* ing developing nations has another ally. A
!J. Bombay-based prescription-drug manu-
ftfcturer, Cipla Ltd., has offered to sell gov-
nal Associj'^rnihents and the medical aid agency Doctors
rnalists v, ^Without Borders AIDS medicine a,t a greatly
V televisio r reduced price.
ieet at 7 p.r ."The company is willing to sell Doctors
)nald Lobby Without Borders the triple-therapy “cock-
^■is” for $350 a year per patient, provided that the agency
»pa Alpha Ogives the drugs to the patients for free. The company says that,
ve a bookei in this kind of disaster, humanitarian deeds are more important
ig A Lady, h thin profit.
ord, by T.l ^ The World Health Organization is working with multina-
to 6:45 p.n tfonal drug companies to reduce the prices of the drugs, but
'Cipla has taken a step that could get the drugs to the patients by
^'pampers’■ Diesc companies need to realize that
Feb. 19 Aatent laws are not important when 25
p off Atnillion Africans are infected with the
IDS virus. By distributing the generic
drugs and not fighting over patents,
Cipla is helping a greater
humanitarian cause.
Opinion
THE BATTALION
i a Way to f C
'iolence. Fo ! f
, contact
tdnesdai
.. thfe end of this year. The multinational companies are doing a
. eountry-hy-country negotiation of the prices, and so far, only
Diversity fre ^F 66 African nations have agreements.
Student RecM Africa is home to 70 percent of the 36 million AIDS cases
nformation, worldwide. According to Doctors Without Borders, the cost of
at 694-008: MyP‘ ca l cocktail in Senegal is $1,000 a year from the major
Hug companies. With the deal offered by Cipla, governments
npus Minisr will pay $600 a year, and, if the demand increases, the price
and prayei 'fluid be reduced.
m 7 to 8:18| Few companies have taken such a bold step to forego profits
napel in the tojhelp solve the problem of AIDS in these countries, and Cipla
should be commended for its efforts. Such actions are neces
sary if the AIDS epidemic in Africa is to be controlled.
ii h ih I Many of the multinational companies are opposed to deals
, ’! , like Cipla’s because Cipla produces the generic version of their
patents to these drugs, and they say Cipla is violating interna
tional patent laws by selling the generic versions to countries.
These companies need to realize that patent laws are not impor
tant when 25 million Africans are infected with the AIDS virus.
By distributing the generic drugs and not fighting over patents,
Cipla is helping a greater humanitarian cause.
Critics suggest that Cipla is trying to take over the African
market for AIDS drugs. The chairman of Cipla, Dr. Yusuf K.
Hamied, said, “1 do not have a monopoly, and the only way to
make real money in drugs is with a monopoly. In this disaster,
there is room for everybody.” By reducing the prices, the com
pany will barely break even with production costs. The cost of
these drugs is $10,000 to $15,000 a year in the West, according
to The New York Times.
Other critics say that the patients will not be monitored
closely and will not have access to the routine tests that West
ern patients are given.
These drugs can cause such ailments as liver damage if the
patients are not checked for problems. But with this many peo
ple infected with AIDS, Doctors Without Borders says that im
perfect treatment is better than none.
Critics must realize that this treatment is the best that these’
agencies and Cipla have to offer. Wasting time trying to get a
perfect treatment in place will allow the AIDS virus to continue
to spread.
“Large numbers of infected Africans live in urban areas
where, with a quite simple clinic, you can deal with anti-retrovi-
rals,” said Dr. Bernard Pecoul, director of the Access to Essen
tial Medicines project for Doctors Without Borders, in a New
Ytrk Times interview. There are chances for organ damage, but
the benefits of treating these patients outweighs the risks.
Cipla Ltd. is leading the way in helping to end the suffering
of AIDS patients in developing nations. While the critics of its
deal have valid points, the humanitarian reasons are strong
enough for Cipla to continue its work.
Multinational companies need to stop arguing about patent ■
laws and learn a lesson from this company. If they take a loss
and offer their drugs at a lower cost, they will reap the benefits
of helping a worthy cause. Money and laws cannot solve the
world’s problems.
be guest
ormation, (
drugs. The companies are fighting because they own the
Brieanne Porter is a junior
political science major.
Ruben deluna/the battalion
6-2041.
€ Law Enfwc'
II hold
om 7 to 1 fr’ 1
invited to
Texas blamed for power problems
B
eginning when
George W. Bush an-
id Atheist nounc , ed Ms candida-
3ve a genffif X£ r P re , s,de “ b “ k 1 ,n
- jn the comf r™, a charming little game
205 MSC. B as t> een steadily growing in
popularity among politicians
Associatio , [| ai ' oun d the nation. This
tal Profess Name is called Texas-bash-
general mef
r at 6:30 p. r
ishine will'
eting at 8:3i
der.
ursday
the 12th
T The Zone?
through Tlii
r. and Frida;
runs. Alls!
Icome. For
contact
t 764-8631
ling. To play, all a person needs is a little anger
and a big mouth. In fact, the game has really
come into its own as a political sport lately, as
Texas has been criticized for everything from
environmental troubles to the number of con
victed felons executed annually.
I But there is a new kid in town, and he sure
is big. His name is California, and he has an
energy crisis. Most people by now have heard
RoatjL ot'the California energy crisis — or “chal
lenge,” as California Gov. Gray Davis calls it.
.;]Here in Texas, people may not care much
■bout it, but they should. Texas businesses are
|being blamed for the crisis by some politicians
• in California, but there is no one to blame but
i,California itself.
I The trouble started in 1996 when California
legislators decided to deregulate the state pow-
dus MinistriF^ 1 i nc l ustr y- They aimed to privatize the indus-
Bupper from , itr > allowing large power companies such as
at Our Sar ^ e ^' ant Energy and Dynergy to purchase and
arch (315Tf run California power plants. The companies
. for an eveiiir 011 ^ then sell power to state utilities for use
hip and
ation, Cc
by the public. The idea was that allowing pow-
K.|!r companies to enter the picture would gener
ate a competitive environment and keep the
rice of power low.
-Society wi |* Although no officials seemed to "complain at
sals in 26ithe time, most of these companies were out-of-
p.m. For fltate businesses. In fact, most of them are Texas-
contact De: phased and are strongly associated with both the
piage and the economy of the state of Texas,
hese companies include industry giants Enron
nd Reliant Energy, which have their names
lastered all over Houston on everything from
skyscrapers to sports stadiums.
Fast-forward several years: Despite the
ood intentions of state legislators, deregula-
ion failed miserably. Soon after it began,
wholesale electricity prices in the state soared.
The public utilities plunged further and further
nto debt as they continued to buy power at ex
tremely high prices but were unable to pass
these prices on to consumers, because of a
price cap fixed by the legislature to protect the
public from high electricity prices. Instead,
now they may have no power at all.
Bone-headed state officials, looking to
riday
us Minis!#!
udy from
Our SaLj
lurch (Goi
us for ouf
ble study (K
opics. F°f
call Kyle F
Flying Ci
against
si I Outta
;xas. Fo f ;
»n the eVf ;
e event, #
^t 847-0 15
slabs.tafi
.m at 695
shotma^
Texas in # P awn off the blame on someone else, turned to
Texas power companies. Their spin was that
out-of-state big-business monsters were jack
ing up the price of electricity just to make a
profit. Sorqe officials are even claiming that
power companies “deliberately took their pow
er plants out of service to reduce available sup
plies to drive up prices,” according to The New
York Times.
San Francisco has even filed a lawsuit
against the energy companies stating that the
companies found a way to illegally “take ad
vantage of a deregulated market to make a
quick buck.” However, the fact that these peo
ple have no evidence to back up their claims
makes them look more like the cowards they
have become.
In fact, the Fed’eral Energy Regulatory
Commission said in a recent report that it
could find no proof that companies took their
generators out of commission to drive up
prices. By trying to avoid responsibility for
their mistakes, California officials risk hurting
not only the energy companies but the image
and the economy of Texas.
So what really happened? There is no doubt
that the power companies jacked up electricity
prices, but the problem is much deeper than
that. California has not added new large power
plants to its electricity grid for at least 10
years. Many of its plants are either outdated or
are not working at all. Meanwhile, the state
population has been rapidly growing along
with a strong economy, which means increased
power demands.
As anyone taking a high school econom
ics course can tell you, this is a simple matter
of supply and demand: When there is a short
supply of power and a huge demand for it,
prices go up. The power companies certainly
could have taken the initiative to build more
power plants, but they had absolutely no mo
tivation.
California is known for its stringent envi
ronmental regulations, which can be especially
cumbersome for businesses, like power plants,
that are notorious for polluting the environ
ment. By not building new power plants, the
companies not only avoided going out of their
way to adhere to environmental regulations,
but they also decreased the supply of power to
the state.
Although this may seem mean-spirited, it is
not illegal. “Did they break the law? They
didn’t have to,” said Steve Klein, superinten
dent of Tacoma Power, a West Coast utility.
Legislators should have known that this was
going to happen. Businesses are out for a prof
it, not to be nice.
California prides itself on being a wonder
ful place to live, and it certainly is. But it made
a mistake with deregulation, and the results are
not pretty. Instead of owning up to it and work
ing toward a viable solution, some people have
chosen to lay the blame at the feet of Texas
businesses.
However, Texas is accustomed to respond
ing to such criticism. And someday it may
just raise up its collective voice and shout,
“We may be big and ugly, but at least we have
power!”
Matthew Cannon is a senior
biomedical science major.
This is not the end
Court ruling far from being Napster’s death knell
T wo days be
fore Valen
tine’s Day, the
hearts of millions of
Napster users sank.
On Feb. 12, a three-
member panel of
judges from the 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals dealt a huge
blow to the music-swapping company
by sustaining the injunction against it
from a lower-court ruling in July.
While the panel did not immediately
shut down the service, it agreed with
District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel’s pre
vious decision that Napster Inc. con
tributed to copyright violations. How
ever, the appeals court ruled that the
initial injunction was “overbroad” and
needed amendment. The case will return
to the lower court, where a more specif
ic injunction will be hammered out,
forcing Napster to stop trading MP3
files that record companies told it to
block. After the ruling was announced,
the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) celebrated its victory.
Hilary Rosen, RIAA’s chief executive,
called the ruling “a clear victory.”
“The court of appeals ... ruled in our
favor on every legal issue presented,”
she said. Meanwhile, Napster support
ers filled Internet message boards with
cries of injustice and spoke with their
hands by logging on to Napster servers
and downloading MP3s like there was
no tomorrow.
But before Napster users and the
RIAA start sounding a requiem for the
MP3-trading program, it should be not
ed that the appeals-court ruling pro
vides some wiggle room for Napster
and its users to continue downloading
copyright material. Furthermore, even
if Napster’s method of operation is shut
down, last week’s ruling does not mean
the end of illegal MP3 downloading.
Contrary to headlines declaring that
the appeals-court ruling signaled Nap
ster’s death knell, using Napster to
trade copyright MP3s does not have to
end. The ruling ordered Napster to po
lice its networks “within the limits of
the system.”
Napster previously argued that it
cannot effectively monitor all transac
tions between its users. More than 275
servers connect users to one another,
and the service itself sees about 10,000
file transfers per second. Because Nap
ster is unable to effectively patrol and
monitor its servers, music pirates may
still be able to operate under the scruti
nizing eyes of Napster and the RIAA.
Besides monitoring user transactions,
Napster may be forced to filter out cer
tain files. The court ruled that Napster
will be held accountable for copyright
violation only if it “receives reasonable
knowledge of specific infringing files ...
or should know that such files are avail
able on the Napster system.”
Basically, this means that it is up to
the RIAA to tell Napster which files to
block. The organization has sent Nap
ster a list of more than 12,000 songs to
ban from its servers and is expected to
send more. However, Napster users
may be able to rename'copyright songs
to make them appear as if they are un
copyright versions, especially the live
recordings.
Nonetheless, if Napster does drop
the ball as the leader in MP3 piracy, a
number af other programs will be anx
ious to pick it up. Napster boasts about
50 million users. Shutting down Nap
ster as a source of copyright MP3s will
create a vacuum in the peer-to-peer
file-swapping universe.
Programs like Gnutella and Freenet
are prime candidates to fill that vacu
um. The best part is, under the law, in
cluding last week’s ruling, these pro
grams cannot be stopped. Napster’s
Achilles’ heal is that, although users
connect to one another’s computer, the
connection and transfer is managed by
central networks.Those networks can
be monitored, filtered and shut down
for trading illegal files.
Gnutella and Freenet, on the other,
hand, use what has been called “pure”
peer-to-peer connectivity without a
central server. These programs have no
way within the limits of the system to
police the transfer of illegal files.
Even if Gnutella and Freenet are
shut down Napster-style, illegal peer-
to-peer trading will continue on a user-
to-user basis. Before Napster came
around, MP3 swapping was carried out
by an underground community of mu
sic pirates offering access to their own
collections of copyright songs in ex
change for access to another’s.
Using Internet relay chat and file
transfer protocol programs, millions of
copyright MP3s were available for
download. These programs are the
cockroaches of the MP3 world. They
were there long before the dawn of
Napster, and, should the RIAA start a
nuclear war against copyright infringe
ment, these companies will be there
when the dust settles.
The only way the RIAA can effec
tively target music piracy online is to
fight fire with fire, or in this case, tech
nology with technology. The recording
industry is working on developing anti
piracy file security. If the corporate
world succeeds in finding a way to en
crypt and protect MP3s from being ille
gally transferred, this would present a
new challenge to the hacker communi
ty — and there is nothing hackers love
more than a new challenge.
While the battle between program
mers and hackers, record companies
and penniless college students contin
ues, some things remain constant. As
long as there is interest in free music
downloads and a lack of morals on the
Internet, the trading of copyright MP3s
is not going away. With its “victory”
over Napster last week, the RIAA may
have pulled out a huge weed, but it did
not get the roots.
Eric Dickens is a
senior english major.