And nobody knows that better than the Recording Industry Association of America, which recently launched a new campaign to thwart music piracy in institutes of higher learning.

The RIAA says advances in software have enabled the organization to better trace file-sharing on campuses.

On February 28th the trade organization announced it had sent 400 pre-litigation settlement letters to 13 different universities warning the schools that the music industry is ready to launch an infringement suit against a school’s student or employee. In sending the letters, the RIAA is asking the schools to forward the messages to the people the organization claims are copyright infringers.

Now, make no mistake about this. This isn’t a warning to campus file-traders to clean up their copyright acts. These letters are settlement offers from the RIAA, telling students and campus personnel to pay up now or face costly future litigation.

Of the schools on the RIAA’s pre-trial hit list, Ohio University received 50 letters, both Syracuse University and North Carolina State University received 37, and the University of South Florida found 31 such messages in its mailbox.

“Our work with college administrators has yielded real progress and we’re grateful for the help of those who have worked closely with us,” RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol said. “At the same time, we recognize that the nature of online music theft is changing, and we need to adjust our strategies accordingly.”

This isn’t the RIAA’s first attempt to police campus pipelines. The organization has long complained about universities turning blind eyes to student file-sharing. However that has changed as school administrations began taking tougher approaches to illicit song swapping.

At Michigan State University, anyone caught twice must watch an RIAA-produced eight-minute anti-piracy DVD, and a “third strike” offender can be suspended for a semester.

“I get the whole spectrum of excuses,” said Randall Hall, who polices MSU’s campus network. “The most common answer I get is, ‘All my friends are doing this. Why did I get caught?'”