Music industry wins approval of 871 subpoenas against Internet users

Bostom.com ^ | 07/18/2003 | Ted Bridis

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

In some cases, subpoenas cite as few as five songs as ''representative recordings'' of music files available for downloading from these users.

Boy, Grandma is gonna be pissed when she gets hit with that subpoena for downloading those five old christmas tunes!

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[billbears]

Well somebody tell the RIAA to either drop the price of CDs or to put more than one good song on an album and maybe they wouldn't have to worry about this as much

[Paul C. Jesup]

Well somebody tell the RIAA to either drop the price of CDs or to put more than one good song on an album and maybe they wouldn't have to worry about this as much.

(sarcasm) But if they did that, they would actually have to work for a living.

[bvw]

They are about to learn a very ancient lesson, and unfortunately one with a lot of aggravation and distress for all, and for innocents. I am being optimistic when I say "about to learn" -- for that implies they will. And they may not.

KING MIDAS
The man with the Golden Touch
(Source: Myth Man's Award-winning Homework Help

Be careful what you pray for, you just may get it, as our wise Chinese cousins like to say...Still delirious with happiness at his new-found power, King Midas went into his banquet hall for the daily feast. Wouldn't you know it? As soon as he would pick up a morsel to eat, it would turn into gold. Dying of thirst, his wine would transform into liquid gold as soon as it touched his lips. King Midas began to panic. This wasn't fun any more, he was famished!

Alarmed at his predicament, his beloved daughter ran to hug and comfort him, but as he wrapped his arms around her, she instantly turned into a golden statue. That's when King Midas realized the severity of his mistake and, hungry, thirsty and heartbroken, he begged Dionysus to release him of his burden.

[Astronaut]

The recording industry is fighting a losing battle. In fact, they've already lost and are just too stupid to see it! New services like Apple's iTunes Music Store (and the inevitable inferior clone that Microsoft will produce) are changing the way consumers buy music. The RIAA needs to get a clue. Online sales and file sharing are here to stay. Illegal file sharing will exist no matter what. Nothing stops someone from buying a CD and making copies for friends or for archival purposes, so nothing can stop someone from buying an MP3 or AAC version of the song and doing the same thing.

FAIR USE RULES!

[winner3000]

Let's all boycott buying CD's until the RIAA starts finally responding to its customers. We're sick and tired of paying for 14 crappy songs for the privilege of enjoying the 15th. I have started my own boycott.

[El Conservador]

F*** RIAA!!!

They can kiss my big, fat, brown a$$!!!

If they sue me, I'll hire Jonnie Cochran and leave them begging in the streets.

[jwh_Denver]

I have started my own boycott.

Well the article reminded me to turn Xolox on. LOL!

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

Users everywhere are on the run. <\sarcasm>

[rewrite]

Blame it on high CD prices all you want, bottom line...file "sharing" is stealing of a little thing called intellectual property. We songwriters copyright our songs not only to prove we wrote 'em but to help us get paid for them.

[Drammach]

Fair Use does not give the right to make copies for your freinds.
It gives you the right to make copies only for your own use, and only copies of legally purchased music, video, media, etc..

My challenge to the industry would be to show legally purchased copies of media that I have downloaded.
Fair use would then apply.

Fact is, 99% of the music I have in MP3 form is stuff I already own, and have recorded/ converted to mp3 myself, for my own use.
Music and other media that I have actually downloaded is usually not mainstream, and is often readily available for download with the author's / performer's permission, for free.

Anyone that so severely restricts their musical tastes to Pop / Rap / Hip Hop, etc., has already punished themselves far more than I have the heart to.

One more point.
MP3 audio quality is NOT the same as commercially recorded CD or DVD. Especially downloads.
It's good, but not excellent.
If you are listening to music with actual instrumental solos, indicative of comprehensive mastery of an instrument, you want an original CD / DVD, etc..
If you just want really loud bass, mp3 is just fine.

[Drammach]

.file "sharing" is stealing of a little thing called intellectual property.

Is listening to your songs on the radio/stereo stealing?
Listening to VH1? MTV? Digital Radio?

If I RECORD "Insert your song here" from the above, is THAT "file sharing"?
Is it in some way DIFERENT from file sharing?

The sound quality on cableTV is often superior to that on my stereo reciever, due to electronic interference with reception.
I often tape selected sessions on video tape, then transfer the audio portion to audio tape or CD.
The "Fair Use" provisions to the Copyright Act allow this, as long as it is for my own personal use.

Fact is, I PAY for access to those cable music channels, and therefore, have PAID "ROYALTIES" through the service provider in the form of service fees.
I really don't "need" to use online file sharing, I can actually get equal or better sound quality by taping off the cable channels.
I also get a fairly decent "mix" of the musical genre of my choice, and if something doesn't suit me, I simply don't record it, or transfer it to my personal copy.

I could probably recite a half dozen other methods of acquiring quality copies of today's most popular music cuts, but I won't bore you with details.
Let the Music Industry continue to mess with the 10%, maybe 15% of the American population that is "computer literate" enough to do file sharing.
They also include the 10 to 15% that are computer savvy enough to completely destroy the music industry on the web.

As several have already said, it's not worth fighting over, RIAA has already lost the war, even if they win a few more skirmishes.
Fair Use prevails, and the Music and Entertainment Industry needs to "get over it".
They have fought audio recording, video recording, postponed the arrival of CD/RW in the U.S. by at least 5 years, and done the same with DVD recording.
I'm not up on what new technologies are available in Japan / Korea / China at the moment that are being kept off the U.S. consumer market, but I can almost guarantee that there are at least 2 or 3.

Don't take this wrong, but RIAA and the Music & Media producers have you Brainwashed into believing they are "protecting" your intellectual property.
They don't give a damn about YOUR rights, or intellectual property. Just theirs.
Compare what they (RIAA and the Producers) make in a year, and what the songwriters / performers make in a year.
Ask yourself this. "Where do musical groups make their money? Record sales, or Live Tours?"
(answer: Live Tours)
Who goes to those concerts? Mostly, downloaders, and file sharers.

Of course, that's just my opinion, I may be wrong.. HA!

[Lael]

Blame it on high CD prices all you want, bottom line...file "sharing" is stealing of a little thing called intellectual property. We songwriters copyright our songs not only to prove we wrote 'em but to help us get paid for them.

Sooooo..........

How the H*LL does anyone get Royalties when a PUBLIC LIBRARY lends out Music, Books, Movies???????????

P2P should have the STATUS of QUASI Public Libraries!

And, as long as we're up [Fair Use borrowing of Grants Scotch slogan], Lets reset the Copyright term to equal that of a Patent {17-20 Years}!!

Remember, the PUBLIC has a FUTURE INTEREST in ALL Intelectual Properties, and as it is, US Copyright Law VIOLATES THE RULE AGAINST PERPETUITIES!!! {Lives in BEING + 21 years + Period of gestation of said Heir being PREGNANT!!}

[July 4th]

I wonder how many "kazaaliteusers" got a subpoena.

[RasterMaster]

If the scumbags would release songs on a more timely basis, they would be purchased in volume. Nothing "new" is worth the download, or paying to listen to.

[Lael]

I wonder how many "kazaaliteusers" got a subpoena

NOTHING will hasten the MASS ADOPTION of the VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK protocol than this move...

I hope Ashcroft realizes that this impacts ALL manor of Intelligence Gathering...Pretty soon, "do it yourself" instructions on how to defeat "TEMPEST" Attacks will be all over the Internet!!!

[RasterMaster]

When a company that makes CD's releases all songs but one or two, just so you have to pay double for the Jap import, their case is lost. The leaders (Metallica) in the file sharing busting are hypocrites...their invitations to the masses to bootleg their concerts (even where audio/video recording was against the law) in the past should show that well enough. They ENCOURAGED bootlegging in their past. Now that they suck and sales are down they are against it? BULL$hit!

[dwollmann]

If someone makes a copy of a recording that you produced without your authorization you are not deprived of the use or the control of the original recording, so how has the recording been "stolen" from you?

The protections afforded to artistic works in the Constitution are artificial and have worked so well for so long only because the costs of copying and distribution outweighed the benefits. When the costs of copying and distribution approach zero, so do the number of people who refrain from copying and distributing. We're talking about going after fans here, not anonymous Asian kingpins sitting in smoke-filled backrooms. Putting fans in jail may make you feel good for a little bit and may even put a few more pennies in your pocket, but is it really a good idea?

If artists and labels want to protect the materials they produce then they are going to have to do what everybody else does (except ISVs, but that's another story), make people sign contracts and treat violations of these contracts as a civil matter.

[tdadams]

Amen! The RIAA is on the right side of the law in this issue. When someone breaks into a store and gets shot, that's the consequences of breaking the law. I have no sympathy for his cries about his civil rights being violated.

When someone downloads copyrighted music, they're breaking the law. I have no sympathy for them either when they're caught and face the consequences.