Consumers don’t like DRM and neither do we, but quite honestly—we thought no one cared what we liked and disliked.
riaa
Interview With RIAA Lawsuit Target Tanya Andersen
By 9.19.07
You might remember Tanya. She was falsely accused by the RIAA of sharing over 1,000 songs. Rather than admit they had the wrong person, the RIAA lawyers just wouldn’t quit.
MediaDefender's Emails Hit The Internet: Entrapment? The New York Attorney General's Office?
By 9.17.07
MediaDefender, a company that “disrupts” p2p on behalf of record labels and movie studios, suffered an embarrassing leak this weekend when 700MB of internal company emails were distributed on the internet. Oops!
Class Action Status Requested For Malicious Prosecution Suit Against RIAA
By 8.18.07
Remember Tanya Anderson? After the RIAA’s case against the 42 year-old single mother for downloading gangsta rap was dismissed with prejudice, Tanya turned around and sued the RIAA for fraud, racketeering, and malicious prosecution. Now, her lawyers have filed papers in federal court asking to grant her suit class action status. From Ars Technica:
Warner Music Group Loses A Whole Lot Of Money
By 8.7.07
Warner Music Group is losing a lot of money, according to Reuters. The company said in a statement:
“This (revenue) decline was driven by a challenging recorded music industry environment as the shift in consumption patterns from physical sales to new forms of digital music continues,” the company said in a statement. “Declines in our physical … revenue were only partially offset by increases in music publishing and digital recorded music revenue.”
So, shoppers, why is that? Crappy music? DRM? Is music too expensive? Do you not enjoy music anymore? Are you broke? Are you buying games for the Wii instead of a CD? Are you a bunch of pirates? Avast.
CCIA Starts Online Petition Defending Fair Use
By 8.1.07
The CCIA, an industry trade group representing the interests of the likes of Google and Microsoft, asked us to let you know they’ve started an online petition at DefendFairUse.org.
Meet The "CCIA": Google, Microsoft's Industry Group Attacks Copyright Bullying
By 8.1.07
Google, Microsoft, and others speaking through the Computer and Communications Industry Association or CCIA, have announced their intention to file a complaint with the FCC accusing copyright holders such as Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the MPAA and the RIAA of “overstating” their rights in various consumer warnings.
University Of Kansas' New File Sharing Rule: One Strike And You're Out
By 7.22.07
The University of Kansas has a harsh message for its students: illegally download copyrighted material and you’ll spend the rest of your college days checking Facebook in the computer lab. The university previously operated under a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy. From Kansas University ResNet:
Judge Awards $68,685.23 in Attorneys Fees Against RIAA
By 7.17.07
In the case of Capitol v. Foster, the judge has awarded $68,685.23 in attorneys fees to the defendant, Debbie Foster. According to Recording Industry vs The People, this is the first time attorneys fees have been awarded to an RIAA defendant.
Internet Radio Saved?
By 7.13.07
Wired’s Listening Post Blog claims that internet radio has been “saved” (for now, anyway) and that SoundExchange executive director Jon Simson “promised — in front of Congress — that SoundExchange will not enforce the new royalty rates. Webcasters will stay online, as new rates are hammered out.”
How The Recording Industry Killed Itself
By 6.28.07
In the fall of 2003, the RIAA filed its first copyright-infringement lawsuits against file sharers. They’ve since sued more than 20,000 music fans. The RIAA maintains that the lawsuits are meant to spread the word that unauthorized downloading can have consequences. “It isn’t being done on a punitive basis,” says RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol. But file-sharing isn’t going away — there was a 4.4 percent increase in the number of peer-to-peer users in 2006, with about a billion tracks downloaded illegally per month, according to research group BigChampagne.
Today Is The Day Of Internet Radio Silence
By 6.26.07
Ignoring all rationality and responding only to the lobbying of the RIAA, an arbitration committee in Washington DC has drastically increased the licensing fees Internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. Pandora’s fees will triple, and are retroactive for eighteen months! Left unchanged by Congress, every day will be like today as internet radio sites start shutting down and the music dies.
Judge To RIAA: Students Must Be Allowed To Respond To John Doe Lawsuits
By 6.20.07
The RIAA has argued that it would suffer irreparable harm unless immediate discovery was allowed, but Judge Garcia didn’t find that argument convincing. “While the Court does not dispute that infringement of a copyright results in harm, it requires a Coleridgian ‘suspension of disbelief’ to accept that the harm is irreparable, especially when monetary damages can cure any alleged violation,” wrote the judge. “On the other hand, the harm related to disclosure of confidential information in a student or faculty member’s Internet files can be equally harmful.”
AT&T's New Copyright Protection Plan: Read Everyone's Data!
By 6.16.07
AT&T has announced a plan to keep pirated content off their network by peeking at everyone’s data to see if it contains copyrighted material. The plan, which the telecom somehow claims will “not violate user privacy,” will only target repeat offenders.
Congressman Who Took Money From RIAA/MPAA Says Congress Should Cut Funding To Colleges
By 6.7.07
The RIAA’s campaign contributions are hard at work this week as members of Congress threaten to cut off federal funding to educational institutions if they don’t stop file sharing on their networks.
RIAA Accused Of Extortion and Conspiracy
By 6.4.07
According to Recording Industry vs The People, a new RIAA case in Tampa, Florida has some interesting counterclaims by the consumer, including extortion, conspiracy, and deceptive trade practices.
In the case of UMG v. Del Cid, the defendant has filed the following five (5) counterclaims against the RIAA, under Florida, federal, and California law:
Contact Information For 50 Politicians Who Take Campaign Money From The RIAA
By 5.31.07
When you voted the RIAA the worst company in America you gave us an assignment. But how can we improve the customer service of a recording industry trade group? It’s not an easy task. Couldn’t you have voted for Home Depot? U-Haul? Anyway…
