Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Music Industry Sues More Computer Users
Yahoo! News ^ | April 28, 2004 | TED BRIDIS

Posted on 04/28/2004 2:15:50 PM PDT by El Conservador

WASHINGTON - The recording industry sued 477 more computer users Wednesday, including dozens of college students at schools in 11 states, accusing them of illegally sharing music across the Internet.

The Recording Industry Association of America (news - web sites), the trade group for the largest labels, praised efforts by colleges and universities to use technology and school policies to crack down on music piracy on their computer own networks. But it said the most egregious offenders on campus deserved to be sued.

"There is also a complementary need for enforcement by copyright owners against the serious offenders to remind people that this activity is illegal," said the group's president, Cary Sherman.

The recording industry filed its latest complaints against "John Doe" defendants, identifying them only by their numeric Internet protocol addresses. It said lawyers will work through the courts to request subpoenas against the universities and some commercial Internet providers to learn the defendants' names.

Campus officials at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania warned students months ago about requests from the recording industry to crack down on copyright infringement on its computer networks.

It threatened to unplug the Internet connection for each student identified by the recording industry as illegally sharing music, until the student removed all software used to distribute songs online.

"Not everyone agrees that downloading and file-sharing is copyright infringement," wrote the school's technology director, Connie L. Beckman. "While this may be debatable, Mansfield University is required to comply with the law."

The latest filings brings the number of lawsuits filed by the recording industry to 2,454 since last summer. None of the cases has yet gone to trial, and 437 people so far have agreed to pay financial penalties of about $3,000 as settlements.

The trade group said the newest lawsuits targeted students at Mansfield; Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; Emory University in Atlanta; Georgia Institute of Technology; Gonzaga University of Spokane, Wash.; Michigan State University; Princeton University in New Jersey; Sacred Heart University of Fairfield, Conn.; Texas A&M University; Trinity College of Hartford, Conn.; Trinity University of San Antonio; the University of Kansas; University of Minnesota and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

___

Recording Industry Association of America: www.riaa.com


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: filesharing; riaa; thug; thugacious; thugfoolery; thuggery; thuggishness; thuggism; thugs
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-22 next last
F RIAA!!!

And they can kiss my big, fat, light brown ass!!!

OTOH, it's nice to see them self-destroying.

1 posted on 04/28/2004 2:15:51 PM PDT by El Conservador
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: El Conservador
F RIAA!!!

And they can kiss my big, fat, light brown ass!!!

For upholding their copyrights?

2 posted on 04/28/2004 2:17:21 PM PDT by MegaSilver (Training a child in red diapers is the cruelest and most unusual form of abuse.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: El Conservador
They have a right, no doubt, to go after the perps, but considering much of the crap that gets passed off as "music" and "talent," the recording industry should be forced to give the stuff away.
3 posted on 04/28/2004 2:20:47 PM PDT by My2Cents ("Well...there you go again.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: El Conservador
If they are suing students in college just by the IP #, how do they know who was using the computer?

How can they PROVE the person does not already have cd of any song or title?

The reason they are suing the weak is because one strong opponent will rip holes in their actions.

Besides, the law frowns on "John Doe" suits. (lawyers used to pull this manure when they had a statute of limitations problem and were trying to file a generic suit to save a claim.)
5 posted on 04/28/2004 2:26:07 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: El Conservador
You know what's really funny? There was a business article out a couple of weeks ago that showed CD sales were actually UP over 10% even with online music sharing.

They're going to shoot themselves in the foot with this if they don't quit it.

I guess too much money is not enough, get the sales and the lawsuits.

Oh well, off to Best Buy to see what's new on the CD rack.

Cheers!

6 posted on 04/28/2004 2:39:58 PM PDT by SZonian (Say what you mean, but don't say it mean!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: longtermmemmory
Good points. The burden of proof is on the RIAA. Suing college students? Makes me want to puke.
7 posted on 04/28/2004 2:51:02 PM PDT by plain talk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: MegaSilver
For upholding their copyrights?

Okay, just save the lawyers the trouble and mail the RIAA a check for whatever you were putting aside to send your kids to college. That's the "settlement" they're trying to extort in each of these cases.

8 posted on 04/28/2004 2:51:28 PM PDT by BlazingArizona
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: El Conservador
I found a great classical label called NAXOS. They sell the entire classical repertoire for about $6.98 per CD. Recordings are professionally done by well-known orchestras (mostly from Europe). In addition, they are releasing a lot of older performances at a budget price. For example, I recently got from NAXOS a recording of Mahler's 2nd symphony (recorded in 1924) that was re-mastered off old 78 records. Very interesting listening too as that performance was recorded the way that Mahler intended (the conductor having known Mahler in real life) and it sounds nothing like how it is typically recorded today.

I mention all this because there is an alternative to the crap that the record industry is putting out and trying to gouge us on.

9 posted on 04/28/2004 2:57:11 PM PDT by SamAdams76 (I don't own this gas-guzzling SUV - my wife does!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: El Conservador
I saw Napster gift cards in Kroger's yesterday. I didn't know they sold them.
10 posted on 04/28/2004 3:00:31 PM PDT by MadelineZapeezda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: El Conservador

11 posted on 04/28/2004 3:04:25 PM PDT by rwfromkansas ("Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" -- Abraham Lincoln)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SZonian

12 posted on 04/28/2004 3:21:55 PM PDT by rwfromkansas ("Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" -- Abraham Lincoln)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: rwfromkansas
You know, you can make the image you post a link to another site, especially since the link provided is part of the image and cannot be copied and pasted.

Try this next time (substitute <'s & >'s for the ['s & ]'s)

[A HREF="http://www.the-url.com"] [IMG SRC="http://www.your-image-source.com"] [/A]

13 posted on 04/28/2004 3:40:10 PM PDT by AFreeBird (your mileage may vary)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: El Conservador
Recording artists should have a defensible right to the work product of a live performance. Beyond that their rights should be determined by their actions.

If artists knowingly allow their work product to be broadcast on a public airway then their work product becomes part of the public domain.

Screw RIAA. They are picking on college students because most students have very little knowledge and less money to defend themselves properly.

14 posted on 04/28/2004 4:06:44 PM PDT by Amerigomag
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Amerigomag
I agree completely.
15 posted on 04/28/2004 4:08:46 PM PDT by PRND21
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Amerigomag
Consider it part of their tuition. If you screw song writers and performers, expect to get screwed in return. Otherwise, let's press for more laws that aren't enforced and call ourselves Handgun, Inc.
16 posted on 04/28/2004 4:23:53 PM PDT by Mr Ducklips
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: SamAdams76
And there are THOUSANDS of "non-industry" musicians here at decent prices(Read:no middleman/RIAA): http://www.cdbaby.com/home .

CD Baby is a little online record store that sells CDs by independent musicians.

[In•de•pen•dent: (adj.) Not having sold one's life, career, and creative works over to a corporation.]

Current Numbers: 61,293 artists sell their CD at CD Baby. 936,047 CDs sold online to customers. $7,460,216.03 paid to artists.

And if you like bass and drums try these via CD Baby: http://www.clatter.com/pages/about.html

17 posted on 04/28/2004 4:28:14 PM PDT by Johnny Crab
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Mr Ducklips
If you screw song writers and performers, expect to get screwed in return.

The only people being taken are the tax payers when the songwriters and performers are allowed to use the public airways to promote their work product for their own personal gain.

Let them use the public airway AND retain their work product protection but charge them a user fee for the service.

Say $100,000.00 for every performance ported over broadcast televising and $5.00 for for every instance their music is ported over broadcast radio.

If an industry wants to use taxpayer supported infrastructure to personally enrich themselves let them pay for it.

Until they are willing to pay for the use of a public supported infrastructure then their work product is in the public domain and it's not for profit use is at the sole discretion of the public.

18 posted on 04/28/2004 4:40:38 PM PDT by Amerigomag
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Amerigomag
Public-supported infrastructure? Of what? Electro-magnetic waves? The only cost is to the broadcasters buying the rights from the FCC to use them.

On the other hand, who do you think builds the towers, the buildings, buys the equipment, pays the personnel to produce the programs, and the royalties to the artists they play? Here's a clue: It ain't the taxpayers.

19 posted on 04/28/2004 4:56:50 PM PDT by Mr Ducklips
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Mr Ducklips
The only cost is to the broadcasters buying the rights from the FCC to use them.

Correct.

...and it's high time that others who profit from the public goodwill and still claim the status of an injured party pay their share as well.

They can't have it both ways. Government support of their livelihood and protection when the rest of the public enjoys those same benefits.

The issue at hand is use of a publicly licensed communication medium, not theft of work product. If it were a simple case of theft of work product, we would have all been sued years ago for giving Christmas presents to our children.

As I said in my original reply: Screw RIAA!

20 posted on 04/28/2004 5:31:08 PM PDT by Amerigomag
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-22 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson