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RIAA Settlement: Possible Consumer Payback
KoopaTroopa writes "Over on Ars Technica they are running a story about the RIAA handing out consumer payments as a settlement to a price-fixing class action. If you bought a recording at retail between Jan. 1, 1995, and Dec. 22, 2000, claim your money." As usual, the lawyers win a lot more than you will, but the process is pretty painless if you'd like to collect part of the settlement money; you may recall this earlier story about the settlement.
I saw this story on Wired a couple days ago. I already filled out the form online to join the settlement group. It was a suprisingly simple process...name, address, email address and click accept on a few things. You don't even need a recipt. Here's the link for those interested.
For some reason when I submitted this EXACT same story a few days ago it was rejected in under 10 minutes. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
I guess we'll know when the 'identity theft' ring goes into action.
Preach it, Lamont!
Considering I pay the RIAA with every cdr I use, and that less than 1% of my cdr usage is for music, I feel that I am giving the RIAA enough already. That's all the justification I need.
Assuming you qualify for the max $20, and further assuming you bought it all in one year (simply apply the fraction to these numbers to calculate your adjusted value in those cases), here's the inflation adjusted values assuming a 4.25 percent inflation rate:
2003 20
2002 19.15
2001 18.33
2000 17.55
1999 16.81
1998 16.09
1997 15.41
1996 14.75
1995 14.12
The cash paid by the Defendants, after the payment of attorneys' fees, litigation and Settlement administration costs, shall be distributed to consumers who purchased Music Products. The number of claims filed will determine the actual amount of the individual refund but will not exceed $20.00 per claimant. If the number of claims filed would result in refunds of less than $5.00 per claimant, there will be no cash distribution to individual consumers. Rather, the cash portion of the Settlement shall be distributed to not-for-profit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs for the benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products.
So now that this is on /. we all know the # of claims filed will result in a refund of less than $5. So now what happens? The money gets donated to pro-RIAA groups, yipee!
Here's a novel idea. How about clicking the link and visiting the site. All you have to do is fill out the form on the site and you will receive somewhere between $5 and $20 depending on how many people respond and how much the settlement is. If it is under $5 per person then all of the money goes to a charity. They are not asking for any proof. They do ask for you age and I think that is how the will tell if your claim is reasonable. If you were born in 1993, chances are you didn't buy anything in those years. Your parents would have to make the claim.
Given that probably the number of people signing on will bring the distribution below $5, and that then the money goes to not-for-profits that benefit "the music listening public" - can OGG get some of that money to help with development costs? I'm sure even just a lowly million would help things along.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
My local Best Buy has a hand-written sign up near the music CD-Rs claiming that they sound better and are more(!) flexible.
I haven't figured out yet whether they're deliberately lying or just ignorant. (These are the same guys who had no idea what I meant when I told them they shouldn't leave their monitors in the PC section at the default 60hz.)
Read the terms, though: they have $67,375,000 to give out to anyone who's purchased a CD, cassette or record from the beginning of '95 to December 22 of double-naught. It doesn't take into account how may albums you bought; the money is split evenly for the class. If the numbers end up being less than $5 a head, "the cash portion of the Settlement shall be distributed to not-for-profit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs for the benefit of consumers who purchased Music Products." So, if 13,475,000 people claim their chunk of the settlement, you get your $5 check. When Mr. 13,475,001 rolls along, the record companies /conspiracy theory/ will set up a not-for-profit shelter so they can hand the money right back to themselves /conspiracy theory/
as in they've given us a variation on the prisoner's dilemna -- if nobody asks for it, nobody gets it. if one person asks for it and the other refuses, then one person gets the money and the other gets screwed. if both people ask for it, nobody gets it. just goes to show the RIAA still doesn't respect us and wants us in our place -- as prisoners to their control over our entertainment.
"But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
-- Joe
JWZ had a very good point -- this was discussed on BoingBoing, and here's what he had to say:
- "Doesn't taking their $20 payoff constitute an agreement that they have paid their debt? If they have in fact engaged in price fixing, they owe us a hell of a lot more than $20 each. I suspect that taking the $20 in hush-money will preclude one from participating in any future, similar legal action against them."
Damn skippy.Too bad I don't have Microsoft-level resources for lawyers, or I might end up owning the RIAA. (Yeah, right.) On second thought, I'd better be careful -- MS might get ideas...
The question of SSNs also came up, and was addressed -- it looks like they have a legitimate reason for asking.
"...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
In fact, everyone should go beyond just passively not claiming their share of this settlement, and actually submit the appropriate paperwork to exclude yourselves, in essence rejecting the settlement. We all know this isn't a fair compensation, and the more people who speak out and say so the better the chances that a more equitable settlement will be reached.
I wonder if any one noticed that the settlement was for 67 MILLION dollars? That means 13 MILLION people have to sign up for it before it goes below 5 bucks a person. I like Slashdot, but I dont' think there are that many readers. If less than three million people sign up, which seems reasonable to say, everyone gets Twenty bucks. Cool. Besides, anyone who is a REAL freak about their personal information would have a PO BOX, and wouldn't care. Amateurs.
If people would take some personal responsibility for their actions and stop blaming everyone else for their problems, this settlement wouldn't exist. If you don't think a price is fair, you do have the option to not buy the product. That's how free market economies work. This case ranks up there with suing McDonalds because they didn't tell you the coffee was hot or because you got fat eating their food.
Vote for Pedro
It could be worse. Norway actually had to pass legislation to change the tax law so you wouldn't be liable for more than 100% of your income. Apparently it was happening all too often.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
Well, the situation in Canada is nothing compared to Finland..
The fee for CDRs is 18,5 eurocents (that's 30,2 Canadian cents), and there is also the VAT (value added tax) of 22% that is added to every product sold in this country.
But that's just the beginning. About 75-80% of the gasoline price are taxes.. (1 liter costs about 1,15eur = 1,21USD. That's $4,56 per US gallon.)
New cars are heavily taxed. There's naturally the VAT, but in addition there is also a special tax, which is about 25% of the total price.
Alcohol is ridiculously highly taxed. One bottle of beer in a supermarket costs about $1 (quantity doesn't matter). Aluminum cans are almost non-existant due to a special "environment tax" for them.
There's even a special tax for soft-drinks! A small bottle of Coke (0.5L) costs over $1.
And last but not least, the income taxes are highest in the euro-zone...
So, what do you bet the defendants will publicize this heavily and get enough claimants to drop below $5/claimant? Then, they'll get the money funneled into not-for-profit, charaitable, etc. organizations aligned with the distributors and the RIAA. They'll lose money out of the general fund, but it'll get pushed back into other organizations they control.
Wait and see...