... I believe their stance impacts a broader audience (myself included). They are educating the next generation...
I agree Jim and I applaud your action.
I also lament the absence of a body similar to what music and video industry has got that would go after infringing. While I am not condoning the extremes those bodies are willing to go to set an example (e.g., pursuing $100K in fines for a single mother, whose daughter downloaded a dozen of songs illegally), I wish there would be a collective body representing photographers' interests in a reasonable manner, if only by providing a public pressure.
In absence of the above, I think your idea is splendid: group pressure, via direct email, social sites, local media, etc. As a matter of fact, how about alerting a local newspaper or TV how their university is educating students to steel intellectual property?
That would not be fighting Alain Briot's fight, that would be fighting for the interests of all of us. If social media could help overturn despot regimes, why not help the rule of law in our own backyard?
As a college instructor (occasionally), i am aware that my school takes plagiarism (another form of IP theft) quite seriously, and I hope most schools do. It is a shame that the university in question is taking such defensive and evasive steps even after learning about the copyright infringement. Most universities are for-profit institutions, with millions in budgets, and even millions in annual salaries for their presidents, so lets just drop that "poor student" mantra as defense.
