Fifth RIAA Attorney Tapped For Justice Department (Obama DOJ not quite what reformers hoped for...)

http://www.dslreports.com ^ | Apr 14 2009 | by Karl Bode

[Maelstorm]

The Obama Administration this week tapped a fifth RIAA attorney to serve in the Justice Department. Collectively, they've argued for the entertainment industry on a myriad of issues, including the argument that ISPs should be forced to hand over personal information on P2P users without a subpoena. Assuming he adheres to them, Obama's own rules would prohibit these gentlemen from working on issues where they've represented the entertainment industry. Still, the collective thinking that permeates the new Department of RIAA Justice worries those who were hoping for more progressive leadership on issues of copyright.

[Maelstorm]

Looks like Hollywood and RIAA have the reigns now.

[JerseyHighlander]

Lawrence Lessig is a fool. A total and absolute fool.

[OneWingedShark]

It makes sense that they’d want to have people FOR ISPs handing out personal information if the rumor about there being an “internet takeover” clause in that dung-heap of a bill that was passed.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Political payback to Hollywood.

[pepperhead]

Bet the most of the people on P2P sites still love 0bama.

[KarlInOhio]

College kids may have been the foot soldiers in Obama's victory, but after the war the money men (and women) in the entertainment industry are the ones to get the medals.

Sorry, downloaders. There's plenty of room under the buss for you.

[BlazingArizona]

Lawrence Lessig is a fool. A total and absolute fool.

So...we should just hand over our lifetime income to Hollywood from birth?

[Petronski]

I wish I had a sawbuck for every dumbass leftist denizen of Pirate Bay who voted for Obama because Bush is an evil electronic tyrant.

LOLOL

[JerseyHighlander]

Lawrence Lessigis a professor and up until early 2008 one of the most articulate advocates of 1st amendment rights in the new digital age. That all ended when he came out to support Obama in a shock to many of his libertarian leaning followers.

Lessig put out a one sentence mea culpa after the election and has done absolutely nothing to fight against the Obama administration’s complete capitulation to the RIAA/MPAA and other lawyered-up trade groups.

Lessig has/had the intellectual and political capital to make a public stand and campaign against Obama’s excesses, he has instead become the Robert of Bruce of this war, backstabbing the peoples’ insurgency and fleeing the field of battle.

[neb52]

“I wish I had a sawbuck for every dumbass leftist denizen of Pirate Bay who voted for Obama because Bush is an evil electronic tyrant.”

I never understood that. Bush did neither one thing or another regrading electronic copyright. The RIAA is still operating off of the DMCA act signed under Clinton in 1998. Granted the FCC under Bush seemed to favor the RIAA, but it seemed more hands off than actually doing anything.

If the kiddos wanted reform than I think they would of had to have voted for one of the fringe candidates.

[neb52]

I was wrapping the duct tape around my head before clicking on the link to read the comments. The users at dslreports are extremely leftist, but really the comments weren’t to bad. Maybe some people are getting it.

[SunkenCiv]

Collectively, they've argued for the entertainment industry on a myriad of issues, including the argument that ISPs should be forced to hand over personal information on P2P users without a subpoena. Assuming he adheres to them, Obama's own rules would prohibit these gentlemen from working on issues where they've represented the entertainment industry. Still, the collective thinking that permeates the new Department of RIAA Justice worries those who were hoping for more progressive leadership on issues of copyright.

RIAA went after used record / CD stores years ago; I'm against piracy, but OTOH, I despise most of the so-called entertainment industry. Wanna raise income taxes? Windfall profits tax on individual artists -- including levies on those $7000 handbags they carry and $1000s-worth of fashion clothing they wear for a day on awards broadcasts.