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RIAA sues the dead
The Register ^
| Feb. 5, 2005
| Andrew Orlowski
Posted on 02/05/2005 12:03:43 PM PST by TWohlford
Death is no obstacle to feeling the long arm of the Recording Industry Ass. of America.
Lawyers representing several record companies have filed suit against an 83-year old woman who died in December, claiming that she made more than 700 songs available on the internet.
"I believe that if music companies are going to set examples they need to do it to appropriate people and not dead people," Robin Chianumba told AP. "I am pretty sure she is not going to leave Greenwood Memorial Park to attend the hearing."
Gertrude Walton, who lived in Beckley, West Virginia hated computers, too, her daughter adds. An RIAA spokesperson said that it would try and dismiss the case.
However the RIAA's embarrassment doesn't end there. Chianumba said that she had sent a copy of her mother's death certificate to record company lawyers in response to an initial warning letter, over a week before the suit was filed. In 2003 the RIAA sued a twelve year old girl for copyright infringement. She'd harbored an MP3 file of her favorite TV show on her hard drive. Her working class parents in a housing project in New York were forced to pay two thousand dollars in a settlement.
You can't be too young to face the consequences of being social, it seems. Only the unborn, it seems, have yet to receive an infringement suit.
But here's another interpretation of this distasteful litigation. Wouldn't the RIAA members be better off if a traditional compensation scheme, such as the one used by radio, was extended to digital music?
Yes, of course they would. And so would we.
Perhaps the cack-handed lawsuits are an indication that even the RIAA doesn't believe it can maintain the charade for much longer.®
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Technical
KEYWORDS: racketeering; riaa
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In a totally unrelated report, the dear are buying fewer CDs since the RIAA crackdown. Music sharing advocates maintain that the dead are actually motivated to buy CDs when they participate in file sharing, much like radio play promotes music purchases.
The RIAA was unavailable for further comment.
1
posted on
02/05/2005 12:03:44 PM PST
by
TWohlford
To: TWohlford
2
posted on
02/05/2005 12:10:58 PM PST
by
NonValueAdded
("We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good" HRC 6/28/2004)
To: TWohlford
The RIAA screwed the music industry in the 90s, mostly with people like Hillary Rosen pushing their lefty ideology that gave us self-loathing hate-America-first shlock and mad chick music (e.g. Alanis Morsette). Now, since no one is buying that junk anymore, they're suing dead people and blaming all their woes on dowloaders. What a bunch of crap!!!
To: TWohlford
I have not bought any CDs of any kind out of spite, yet I listen to all of the music I want. Anything I donwn load is immedeately burned and deleted/ shreded and incinerated off of my hard drive. Good luck making anything stick on my ass.
Maybe if the recording industry came up with more than one decent song per CD or if the developed ARTISTS instead of 1 hit wonders, they would not be having the crisis in sales they are having now.
4
posted on
02/05/2005 12:12:25 PM PST
by
speed_addiction
(Ninja's last words, "Hey guys. Watch me just flip out on that big dude over there!")
To: TWohlford
RIAA... bunch of fat cats are doing this because they want to ensure there salarys are paid by the american people.
5
posted on
02/05/2005 12:14:03 PM PST
by
Little_shoe
("For Sailor MEN in Battle fair since fighting days of old have earned the right.to the blue and gold)
To: TWohlford
"I believe that if music companies are going to set examples they need to do it to appropriate people and not dead people," Robin Chianumba told AP. "I am pretty sure she is not going to leave Greenwood Memorial Park to attend the hearing."Dear Lord, let's hope she doesn't.
Gertrude Walton, who lived in Beckley, West Virginia hated computers, too, her daughter adds. An RIAA spokesperson said that it would try and dismiss the case.
A deceased 83 year-old who hated computers sounds like a likely suspect....
6
posted on
02/05/2005 12:18:17 PM PST
by
xJones
To: TWohlford
the Recording Industry Ass. of America. I've never seen "association" abbreviated that way, but it's appropriate.
7
posted on
02/05/2005 12:19:25 PM PST
by
Izzy Dunne
(Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
To: speed_addiction
um...it may not stick on your ass, but what about the happy little IP fingerprint you are leaving all over whatever server you visit to download your music?
8
posted on
02/05/2005 12:24:48 PM PST
by
melbell
(A Freudian slip is when you mean one thing, and say your mother)
To: TWohlford
I was under the impression that the RIAA isn't allowed to obtain IP addresses of users any longer from the ISPs. How are they getting the information as to who is downloading songs?
9
posted on
02/05/2005 12:27:26 PM PST
by
MedNole
To: melbell
um...it may not stick on your ass, but what about the happy little IP fingerprint you are leaving all over whatever server you visit to download your music?
On one of my home systems, you would be hard pressed to find even the tiniest footprint of me anywhere. Every single stealth and ghost surfing product and program (along with multiple routers) is running on that machine.
10
posted on
02/05/2005 12:30:33 PM PST
by
speed_addiction
(Ninja's last words, "Hey guys. Watch me just flip out on that big dude over there!")
To: TWohlford
The RIAA recently lost an appeal and no longer can subpeona Internet Service Providers to disclose the identity of subscribers.
details
To: All
Apparently this industry hasn't gotten the message that our courts are little busy with REAL cases,,then again,,what do they care?
To: TWohlford
don't listen to pop music at all...so the RIAA take a flying leap at the moon for all I care!
13
posted on
02/05/2005 12:52:32 PM PST
by
NoClones
To: speed_addiction
I bought a wireless router for the laptop I'm using right now.
When I installed it, I discovered that the signal from a nearby municipal access point was almost as strong as mine. With everything set to "auto-acquire" I can't tell which way I'm accessing the internet (unless I constantly monitor).
The muni connection is anonymous - no subscription or service agreement was asked for or signed.
Makes it kinda difficult to trace....
14
posted on
02/05/2005 12:54:57 PM PST
by
rockrr
(Revote or Revolt! It's up to you Washington!)
To: TWohlford
I liken this to an armored car that lost bags of money out the back door, spilling cash to the winds...people stopped and picked up the money and now the RIAA is suing them. The technology passed them by and they're still trying to play catch-up instead of inovating.
iTunes works well for me now. The artists deserve their slice but RIAA can kiss my @ss. Leave the dead alone.
To: TWohlford
I can hear the court room scene now;
Judge: Are Counsels for the defendant and plaintiff ready to proceed?
Plaintiff Counsel: Yes your Honor
Defendant Counsel: No your Honor, I move to dismiss on the grounds that the defendant is incapable of understanding the charges leveled against here or actively participating in this case.
Judge: Where's the defendant?!!!
Defendant Counsel: In burial plot #16 of Grey Lawn Cemetery.
Judge: Working?
Defendant Counsel: No your Honor an eternal resident and to get her here will require you to sign an exhumation order.
Judge: BANG! Case Dismissed. Plaintiff Counsel, IN MY CHAMBERS. NOW!!!
16
posted on
02/05/2005 1:06:21 PM PST
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
To: TWohlford
"The dead do not suffer the living..."Regards, Ivan
17
posted on
02/05/2005 1:07:50 PM PST
by
MadIvan
(One blog to bring them all...and in the Darkness bind them: http://www.theringwraith.com/)
To: MadIvan
Hi MadIvan!
Your post poses a conundrum - was it intentional?
Did you mean to post an image from the CouncilofElrond.com site that scolds one for "filching" images? If so, how does their hosting of screen captures and other copyrighted images square with the admonition of others not to steal?!
They ask, "Don't image theives suck?" and call (you) a "loser", but it would appear that they could stand a bit of introspection themselves!
18
posted on
02/05/2005 1:35:27 PM PST
by
rockrr
(Revote or Revolt! It's up to you Washington!)
To: rockrr
I'm actually seeing an image from the Army of the Dead. Oh well.
Regards, Ivan
19
posted on
02/05/2005 1:44:35 PM PST
by
MadIvan
(One blog to bring them all...and in the Darkness bind them: http://www.theringwraith.com/)
To: MadIvan
That makes sense (in relation to your caption).
I find it an interesting example of situational ethics that would have one private enterprise bad mouth another private enterprise for sharing third-party property!
(I wonder if they would see the irony ;'}
20
posted on
02/05/2005 1:52:40 PM PST
by
rockrr
(Revote or Revolt! It's up to you Washington!)
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