The RIAA sees the face of evil, and it's a 12-year-old girl

The Register ^ | 09/09/2003 at 13:54 GMT | Ashlee Vance in Chicago

[Protagoras]

I tried to join a pay download site for my wife as a gift. I actually signed up for the free trial, but the selection of music was so poor we opted out after a few days.

[VRWCmember]

An innocent 12-year-old having the door knocked down by RIAA thugs is newsworthy for its uniquenss element.

From the article: When reporters charged into Brianna's home,...

It was reporters, not RIAA thugs, that "knocked down" her door.

[jgrubbs]

It's all Al Gore's fault, if he would have never invented the Internet, then we wouldn't have a problem with people stealing music online.

[Protagoras]

While she may not have thought she was doing anything wrong since mummy paid a $29.95 fee so she should reasonably be able to take hundreds of dollars worth of music for free, she probably now has a better understanding of the concept of taking something without paying for it.

So you read it but you didn't comprehend it. I'll sum it up for you in clear language. She is 12 and she thought it was paid for.

If anyone should have known better it should have been the mother.

I'm not in favor of theft and I'm not in favor of letting people off the hook either.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

What is the RIAA plan to prosecute people who live outside of the U.S. and download their music? Is their a plan B?

[VRWCmember]

Going after children make you look bad no matter how right YOU THINK YOU ARE.

The list of people stealing music probably just contained names, IP addresses, ISP account id, etc. and most likely did not include age and other personal information (which in this case could have been a violation of the Child OnLine Protection Act to collect).

Can you see the distiniction between "going after children" vs going after thieves, some of whom turned out to be children?

[BenLurkin]

12-year-old Brianna LaHara (if she's anything like my kids) is old enough to know right from wrong. My guess (my opiion only of course) is she knowingly chose wrong.

[babygene]

I think it's fair use, as long as your not selling it for a profit...

[Skooz]

She is evil and should be banished to the nether regions.

[TomServo]

Going after children make[s] you look bad no matter how right YOU THINK YOU ARE.

Let's get their parents, too.

[Physicist]

Can you see the distiniction between "going after children" vs going after thieves, some of whom turned out to be children?

The question is whether the court of public opinion will see the distinction. I expect not.

[Paul C. Jesup]

My question to you is. Why do support an organization that is elitist, anti-american, anti-technology, anti-freedom (I am talking about the Constitution, not file sharing), pro-price fixing and is a pro-monoplolistic cartel that screws it producers (in this case music artists)?

[Physicist]

I think it's fair use

So was her purpose education, or public service?

(N. B. Public redistribution of someone else's music does not qualify as "public service".)

[babygene]

$29.95 is more than 1000 of the latest releases are worth! Their gouging her...

[GunnyHartman]

After she calmed down the little lady responded accordingly!

[VRWCmember]

Thank you for clarifying that for me in such plain language. It's such a subtle distinction from my statement that she thought she wasn't doing anything wrong since her mom paid a $29.95 fee that should entitle her to hundreds of dollars worth of music for free, that I must have missed that point from the article.

Yes, her mother should have known better. Her mother should have checked out the rules and the terms before turning her daughter loose on the internet. She thought it was paid for, but it turns out that it wasn't. Now, she probably has a better understanding of the concept of paying for things and what constitutes payment for goods and services than she did before.

Do we comprehend each other better now?

[Protagoras]

I must have missed that point from the article.

Clearly.

[CGTRWK]

Online music sharing is the radio of the wired generation. A 12 year old girl is knowingly choosing wrong over right by listening to music in the same way everyone else she knows does?

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I want to see the NY Post article referenced in this story above. Just WHAT are reporters doing charging into someone's home?

[VRWCmember]

I think it's fair use, as long as your not selling it for a profit...

So, if you go into a grocery store and decide the price of ice cream is too high (it's unfair), you can just cart as much of it as you can carry out the door without paying for it, and then give it away on the street as long as you don't do it for profit. (This is your concept of fair use?)