RIAA "encouraging stalkers, molesters" - Telco.

Embracer Of Darkness · Post by **Embracer Of Darkness** » 2003-09-18 01:27pm

Complete article here.

RIAA 'encouraging stalkers, molesters' - telco
By Andrew Orlowski
Posted: 18/09/2003 at 14:22 GMT

US telco giant SBC has hit back at the Recording Industry Association of America's legal blitz against music lovers.

In testimony before the Senate this week, SBC's counsel Jim Ellis said that the RIAA was making an end run around the constitution by issuing a blitz of subpoenas with no judicial oversight.

Ellis argued that the legal tactics deployed by the RIAA could be adopted by Net stalkers and child molesters...

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2003-09-18 01:30pm

Hmm. I don't like the RIAA, but that argument never occured to me before...

Interesting idea, anyway.

Embracer Of Darkness · Post by **Embracer Of Darkness** » 2003-09-18 01:33pm

3rd Impact wrote:Hmm. I don't like the RIAA, but that argument never occured to me before... Interesting idea, anyway.

Aye, that's what I thought.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-18 05:38pm

Hmmm, that's actually pretty messed up. I'll see if I can get a legal expert (read, parental unit that's an attorney) to check up on this.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-09-18 07:02pm

People are catching on... If you want anything shut down, just say it's linked to child molesters...

Post by **Edi** » 2003-09-19 03:04am

Exonerate wrote:People are catching on... If you want anything shut down, just say it's linked to child molesters...

Yes, and the delicious irony here is that what is going to get shut down is RIAA's illegal subpoena practice...

Edi

Macross · Post by **Macross** » 2003-09-19 04:40am

Could sueing a 12 year-old be considred child molestation? Speaking of which, did you hear that a P2P company paid her $2000 fine.

And among other things, someone filed a countersuit against the RIAA "amnesty" program saying that it was deceptive.

and here is the best one: http://vigilant.tv/article/3215

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-09-19 04:41am

The Resistance builds. Good, good.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-09-19 11:11am

Shinova wrote:The Resistance builds. Good, good.

[insert joke about Resistance Records]

(editor's note: For those who don't know, Resistance Records is an underground label exclusively distributing heavy metal with Nazi lyrics. Of course, if Hitler ever heard rock music of any kind he'd just have dismissed it as "degenerate art" or "Entartete Kunst" in his native german - but then again, Nazis aren't known for their intelligence)

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-09-19 11:53am

Yes! YES! We will defeat them with LAWYERS! WONDERFUL MONEY-SUCKING LAWYERS! We will use their own lawyers to suck them dry!
Bwo-ha-ha-ha-ha!

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-09-19 12:46pm

Exonerate wrote:People are catching on... If you want anything shut down, just say it's linked to child molesters...

Hey file sharing was linked to pedophiles also. Such irony.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-09-19 04:06pm

Macross wrote:Could sueing a 12 year-old be considred child molestation? Speaking of which, did you hear that a P2P company paid her $2000 fine.

Humph, actually the hardware site Hypothermia and a handful of others raised the money for her days before those schmucks did. But that isn't even the point; this whole situation with that girl is despicable.

There have been several hundred people issued subpoenas so far and of them only this poster-child, honor role, living in assisted housing girl was given the money for the settlement. And she is different from the rest how? She broke the law, just like everyone else, she just happens to look good for the opposition. I want P2P to stay around as much as the next guy, but we have to realize that in the current climate, P2P is very much illegal. The 12-year old girl in question was trading upwards of a thousand songs. The only way she got shafted is that she won the RIAA's lottery and that's just tough luck.

Before I get a million flames about this, I don't believe the RIAA's actions have been much better. They need to realize that their lawsuits aren't going to help them and that two drastic measures need to be taken if they want to survive:

1) They need to work with places like BuyMusic.com and the Apple Music Store to make them even more mainstream so that customers have a legitimate alternative to P2P.

2) They need to get the prices down fast. Music is a ridiculously inflated business, with profits going to a ton of middlemen, while the artists simply consider it marketing for their tours. If the music companies can get their CD's into the $5 - $7 range, then they will attract a lot more business.

Macross · Post by **Macross** » 2003-09-19 04:07pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:Yes! YES! We will defeat them with LAWYERS! WONDERFUL MONEY-SUCKING LAWYERS! We will use their own lawyers to suck them dry!
Bwo-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Whoever would have thought that one day lawyers would become the lesser of two evils.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-09-19 10:24pm

neoolong wrote:
Exonerate wrote:People are catching on... If you want anything shut down, just say it's linked to child molesters...
Hey file sharing was linked to pedophiles also. Such irony.

I remember that. Somehow, a few people downloading child porn on p2p networks makes us all pedophiles. For some reason, I find it funny that the same twisted logic is being used against them.