TN Senate bill wants ALL copyrighted works off University networks

In a shameless display of pandering to the RIAA and MPAA, the Tennessee State Senate is scheduled to vote March 5 on SB3974, which is quite possibly the stupidest piece of state legislation since the Indiana Pi Bill. The bill requires that universities receiving state funding

Thoroughly analyze its computer network, including its local area and internal networks, to determine whether it is being used to transmit copyrighted works

And

Certify to the Tennessee higher education commission that an analysis under this subdivision indicates that the institution's network, including its local area and internal networks, is not being used to transmit copyrighted works

If taken literally, this bill would require universities to pretty much shut down their networks.

Students and staff couldn't apply Microsoft Windows Updates to their computers. Those patches are copyrighted works.

Students and staff couldn't use legitimate music services like iTunes, because those songs you download are all copyrighted works.

And the only web sites you could visit from the university network would be government web sites, since almost all other content on the web is copyrighted.