UC Davis has introduced a new downloading service to encourage students to stay on the right side of the law as the music industry continues to sue those who illegally share copyrighted music.

The campus joined with Cdigix, the leading digital media provider to colleges, to decrease illegal file sharing and make students aware of the legal alternatives.

Beginning midway through the fall quarter, UC Davis students were provided free access to Ctrax, the company's basic service, and a library of more than two million songs from 100,000 artists in 23 genres. Employees and alumni pay a monthly fee of $5.99. As of Dec. 10, more than 1,300 individuals had subscribed.

All UC Davis students can sign up for an account and be able to download, stream and create playlists through the company's music player. Although Ctrax users do not legally own any of the music, subscribers have full access to anything in the library.

Students also have the option to upgrade their subscription with the Ctrax2Go service, at $6.99 per month, which allows them to download tunes onto an MP3 player. As long as students are current subscribers, both services permit students to legally download files -- but not share them with others. A third alternative is to permanently purchase song tracks at a cost of 89 cents each or $9.99 for an album or box set.

Illegal file sharing is a significant problem at universities across the country, and it has led to lawsuits involving students. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), universities are obligated to terminate Internet access for anyone caught sharing files illegally through campus servers.

According to Jan Carmikle, who receives notices of alleged copyright infringements for UC Davis, the school received almost 300 complaints of alleged copyright violations against students during the last academic year. Individuals associated with notifications are subject to disciplinary action, including the temporary loss of network privileges. While the first offense results in a warning from Student Judicial Affairs, subsequent offenses will lead to a permanent loss of Internet privileges.

Tracy Bennett, associate director of student housing, said Ctrax provides an ideal solution. "For any student who wants to listen to music on their computer, Ctrax gives you excellent access," he said.