Hundreds of Online Music Swappers Sued

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/09/08/music.downloading/index.html

 

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this article doesn't mention it, but it is expected that a large number of the people sued will be minors. at least one is a 12 year old honor student girl who likes "show tunes and TV show theme songs"

This is Bullshit, however it is sliced. Yes trading files online is illegal. However, the members of the RIAA are CONVICTED PRICE FIXERS!!! They should not be legally allowed to demand money in compensation for the actions of users who were attempting to circumvent their proven illegal actions during the time that those actions were taking place.


For instance, if you swerve into my lane while driving, I can swerve out of my lane to avoid you w/o getting a ticket for reckless driving. *You* were the one at fault legally. If I can show that you were taking illegal action, and I broke the law to avoid being hurt by your proven illegal action, there is no way I should get in trouble too. It isn't logical.


However, most of these cases will be settled via the defendant paying off the RIAA, and the merits of the case will never be tested, because the RIAA have deeper pockets to pay lawyers than does the average citizen.


edit: some info on the RIAA's "Amnesty plan" http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20030909S0008
it doesn't mention that the RIAA isn't the only source of lawsuits, so by identifying yourself as guilty to them, you may be opening up further lawsuits from other parties down the road.

 

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Well, they can't hurt their image anymore than it already is. It will only go down hill from here.

Say hello to the dinosaurs for me. (They are surely on the same path)

No business I have ever known can alienate it's customer base and expect to survive.

The business model needs changing to a manner that will suit the technological climate. Something that giving up control of being able to change the media at will by the consumer is their darkest fears come to reality. Used to be it was no problem to rip off the customer by charging him again for the portability of tape.

In the end this will result in a whole support industry going down the drain. It is already headed that way and has been for some time. Far fewer now are the record stores than what once was. Mom and pop record stores are almost gone, unless they have found a niche market.

No longer needed is the middle man. Something the major labels don't want to give up and with good reason. You see they controlled the prices, the source, the artist, and what went on a recording. Most folks today know that is it is crap, what is being offered for an album. Lately some of the majors have been showning signs of knowing they have pushed the market to far and have begun to lower prices.

We are in the same stage as the vcr tape once was. Fought at every turn by both the movie and the music industry as the devil that would destroy them. However it turned out to be a nice chunk of change for them when video rentals hit the big time. Cd's were never fought over in the same way as it was thought that at the time of introduction that the consumer would never be capable of making a cd. That they had successfully found the next replacement for vinyl. Time has told us a different story, hasn't it?

 

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so anyone of you music downloaders swaping

 

I personally no longer swap RIAA supported music. Never did much in movies as the quality of them are always suspect.

One of the RIAA's weapons has been to hide exactly who they support and who they do not. By their admission they support 80% of the music out there. I question that figure as most of the figures I have seen them release have been spun to say what they wish it to say rather than what might be the actual true of the matter. Be that as it may.

If you wish to find who you might safely d/l from go to this site before offering or d/ling any song and check to see. Needless, this is one site they desperately wish to close. HERE

 

Idea

I've got this idea.....

From what I've read it looks to me like the RIAA is snooping around, checking out transactions and what not to find copywrited material. But aren't they just looking at file names?

What if you had a plugin that changed the name of your file when you put it into your shared file to something based on a code- like "shania twain" would become "blue guitar." The plugin would translate the name every time you was looking at it in kazaa or whichever proggy you use, and then when you took it out of your shared folder it would permanently translate the name. When searching for a file, you would type "Shania" but the search string would look for "Blue."

If the RIAA was lookin around they'd just find a bunch of computers with weird lookin names. If they download the files to check it out further, then accuse you of knowing- how can they prove it? I had no idea it was shania.....and furthermore, wouldn't they be guilty of the same crime? They couldn't prove you were using the plugin....

is it flawed?

 

Theoretically, I see no probably in it.

However, the RIAA doesn't really have to worry about breaking it's own laws. 'You broke the law too' will not get you off the hook.

 

You broke the law too' will not get you off the hook.

no???

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---> move to europe

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sick and tired

-of dropping 20 bucks for a CD with a couple decent songs on it
-of seeing multi-million dollar "Cribs" we buy for these guys
-of hearing "But We Can't Rip You Off Anymore...WAAAHHHH!!"

Its all cool when we're getting ripped off but when the tables turn.....watch out!!

I forsee a swift move to Linux/Unix as soon as Microsoft integrates digital rights managment into its OS.

 

Come to Canada

Apparently in Canada our copyright laws SPECIFICALLY allow exactly this type of music sharing. He's the article.


http://techcentralstation.com/081803C.html

So even if everyone is shut down in the states, you can still download from us!

Dragon

 

land of the free.....
ironical, no?

 

No. What they are downloading isn't free.