Pitt's Computer Science Day to Feature RIAA Attorney in Debate on Sharing Digital Media

PITTSBURGH-The University of Pittsburgh Department of Computer Science (CS) will host its 6th Annual Computer Science Day featuring a CS Bowl, a marketplace display of companies, a scavenger hunt, and a debate titled "Digital Media-To Share or Not to Share?" The events will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, in Pitt's Sennott Square building, 210 S. Bouquet St., Oakland. Festivities are free and open to the public.

In conjunction with the William Pitt Debating Union, the Department of Computer Science will pose the question, "Should lawsuits against individual P2P [peer-to-peer] users be sharply curtailed?" at 2 p.m. in Room 2400. Participants are Charles Lee Mudd Jr., an attorney and coordinator of the first annual P2P Litigation Summit; Geoffrey L. Beauchamp, Philadelphia-area counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America; and Tony DiMattio and Melina Forte, Pitt junior debaters.

In the CS Bowl, teams of high school and college students will face off in a Jeopardy!-style competition at 10 a.m. in Room 2400. The Bowl finals and awards ceremony will take place at 3:15 and 3:45 p.m., respectively.

A scavenger hunt will take place at noon on the fifth and sixth floors of Sennott Square. All are encouraged to participate; the grand prize will be a video iPod, donated by the Industry Advisory Board.

A full schedule of CS Day events is available at www.cs.pitt.edu/events/CSDay/2006. For more information, contact Nathaniel Soltesz at 412-624-5174 or nsoltesz@cs.pitt.edu.

###

2/13/06/tmw