FARGO - Although North Dakota State University has been singled out for a number of students illegally downloading music, some of the Internet pirates are using computers from other state colleges, an NDSU dean says.

The Recording Industry Association of America said Wednesday it was sending letters to 400 computer users at 13 universities, offering people the chance to reach a settlement or risk a lawsuit. NDSU is the only North Dakota school among them.

The list includes 20 people who are using the NDSU system but only half are from NDSU, said Janna Stoskopf, the school's dean of student life.

The others could be from University of North Dakota, Mayville State, Valley City State, North Dakota State School of Science and Lake Region - schools included in the range of Internet addresses designated on the NDSU system, Stoskopf said.

"Certainly we are concerned about the numbers being reported for NDSU students," Stoskopf said. "It's an issue we take very seriously. I would hope that this would serve as a deterrent for people."

At least two computer users at UND are expected to receive letters from the recording association, school spokesman Peter Johnson said. "That's all we know of right now," he said Wednesday.

NDSU was named No. 20 on the recording association's list of colleges with the most copyright complaints, and it attributed 360 violations to the NDSU system. Stoskopf said it's likely 156 of those are from NDSU computers, leaving more than 200 from other sites.

Most of the NDSU users have been sanctioned for violating campus policy, either with verbal warnings, written warnings or probation, Stoskopf said.

"Of those cases we've dealt with, we've had very few repeat offenders," she said.

Fewer than 90 people at UND have been warned this year about illegally downloading music, Johnson said.

"We tell the students that if you have stuff on your computer that you legally can have, great, but don't share it with others," Johnson said. "And if it's illegal, they're told to get it off there."