Replies

The only winners here (as usual) will be the lawyers.

No, the winners here will be artists, musicians and those others to whom they've legally transferred their copyrights. You know -- people who invested money, time and creative energy banking on the good faith that society would live up to the copyright laws it has written.

You may think that five years' worth of downloading technology suddenly mitigates centuries' worth of basic common law principles regarding copyright. The courts, I'm afraid, are apt to disagree. They're not quite so myopic.

Of course not. The courts are made of lawyers.

It's the old battle against warhead vs. armor. In the end, warheads always win.

It's like the "copy-proof CDs and all of the other things they try. No technology is fool-proof. Any block they can invent, someone smarter can (and will) invent a way around.

I repeat. The only winners here are going to be the lawyers.

I thought the courts had already thrown out a filesharing lawsuit. I am uneasy about this p2p technology, but this is an act of desperation from the RIAA. They're looking at a future where the artist will be able to distribute music directly to their market without the RIAA middleman.

The telling factor is that there is a distinct minority of artists that support these heavy handed tactics - just a handful. For example, Radiohead's new album appeared on the internet weeks before it's official release date. The band hasn't complained a bit, because the band gets all their money from touring. When you buy a CD, the money goes to a bunch of suits. Do they deserve their cut? Certainly - they pay for the recording and marketing of the titles.

But the fact is, they're carrying this stuff too far. Abuses have been made with the p2p networks, but RIAA doesn't want to stop there. They have argued in court that any copying of a CD is verboten, even if I transfer a copy to tape for a friend. My father checks classical music CDs out of the library and copies them on the computer - this is illegal in their eyes. There have been efforts to stop use of TIVO and other digital TV recorders. There was an organized effort by RIAA a few years ago to go after the sellers of USED CDs.

These guys are monsters, and it's hard to work up any pity for them. I believe their rights to their property have been compromised, but it's real hard for me and a lot of others to feel sorry for them at all.