RIAA Settles Suits Against Students

wo1verin3 writes "Cnet's News.Com has reported that the RIAA has settled the suits with four students accused of sharing songs. The settlements will see each student making payments to the RIAA totaling between $12,000 and $17,000, split into annual installments between 2003 and 2006."

Comments

$12000 buys how many songs?

[scovetta]

Unfortunately, this is the way it had to end-- the RIAA would lose face to the public if they went for criminal charges, and the $12-17k is a realistic warning to other file traders. If they suit had been for a hundred million trillion dollars (or however must Hilary--err, the RIAA-- estimated as damages), it would have also been a defeat in the public's eyes. $3000 a year, hmmm $300 a month for "unlimited" MP3 downloads? Sounds like a marketing campaign!

Actually, that does sound pretty good, would you pay, say $59 a month or something for unlimited mp3s? I might...

Re:Apple pricing suddenly looking better?

[B3ryllium]

Probably only slightly.

But on another note, Kudos to apple for pulling off a service I might actually use one day :)

They seem to have a nice selection of some of the rarer stuff I'm interested in, which is very neat.

A Good Defense?

[kolors]

Was Daniel Peng the same student who was threatened with the $98 billion lawsuit? Because after reading Joseph Barillari's analysis of the lawsuit it seemed like Dan would have had a pretty good defense to either have the case dismissed or to be acquitted.

Was paying the $17,000 really in the end the wiser decision? It just seems like he had a solid argument, especially given the recent development with Morpheus and Grokster.

Re:That'll Teach 'Em

[Bonker]

Goal? Intimidation.

The legal forces of the RIAA have been tasked with something impossible. Control everyone.

Every dictator who's ever tried to do this before has eventually fallen back on the same tactic: Terror. If you make people fear for their lives for doing what you don't want them to, you can control and them more easily.

Unlike fascist dictators, the RIAA doesn't quite have the power to randomly make people dissapear. They haven't quite bought those laws yet. They're working in it, however. This is just an interim step.

My music sharing idea

[Anonymous Coward]

Please comment on this idea.

It is legal for me to listen to a CD and then sell it to a friend, buy it back, etc, over and over.

Let's say that we form a Co-op with 100 members. Each member kicks in $100, giving us a budget of $10,000 with which to purchase CDs. $10 from each member is reserved. The CDs are ripped and encoded.

Let's say I want to listen to a CD. My $10 on reserve buys that CD from the Co-op. While I own the CD, I get to listen to the encoded music (I do not take physical possession). During that time, no other Co-op member may listen to the CD (unless there are additional copies available for purchase due to popularity).

Essentially, a locking protocol would maintain a 1:1 relationship between the listener and physical media.

Once I am done listening, I sell the CD back to the Co-op and my $10 is freed for the next selection.

Is this legal? Has it been tried? Thanks!

Re:My music sharing idea

[Grond]

Please comment on this idea.
It is legal for me to listen to a CD and then sell it to a friend, buy it back, etc, over and over.
Let's say that we form a Co-op with 100 members. Each member kicks in $100, giving us a budget of $10,000 with which to purchase CDs. $10 from each member is reserved. The CDs are ripped and encoded.
Let's say I want to listen to a CD. My $10 on reserve buys that CD from the Co-op. While I own the CD, I get to listen to the encoded music (I do not take physical possession). During that time, no other Co-op member may listen to the CD (unless there are additional copies available for purchase due to popularity).
Essentially, a locking protocol would maintain a 1:1 relationship between the listener and physical media.
Once I am done listening, I sell the CD back to the Co-op and my $10 is freed for the next selection.
Is this legal? Has it been tried? Thanks!

That was essentially the idea behind the my.mp3.com service (you put a CD in your drive, mp3.com software figures out what CD it is, you can download mp3s of that CD from any computer once you login, occasionally you have to furnish the CD again). My mp3.com didn't last long. The RIAA put a stop to it almost immediately.

An identical idea was/is being tried with ROMs: essentially an online video game rental service. Last I heard Nintendo and their ilk were trying their damndest to shut it down.

Of course, it seems obvious to us that such an idea is clearly within the bounds of technology, the law, and reason. The way Nintendo and the RIAA see it, however, is that they can simply get more money by making everyone buy their own copies of games and music, so that's what they're pushing for, technology, the law, and reason be damned.

Let's set up a fund for them

[azav]

Seriously - let's set up a fund to help them pay off their debts to RIAA. I'll put in a buck for that.

Anyone?

Re:and how much

[JonnyElvis42]

If the RIAA keeps talking about how "we" are hurting the artists, what measures are they taking to give the artists restitution?

Ahh, a fresh mind unspoiled by the cynicism that comes with watching the RIAA's and MPAA's actions :-) The answer to your question is: None! I mean come on, if the RIAA gave some of that money to artists, that would mean less money for the record companies, and that just wouldn't be fair, since it's the record companies perpetrating the extortion, not the artists.

Copyright confusion

[code addict]

Okay... I'm really confused about the legality of everything now...

If I buy a CD, I am legally allowed to listen to it. Correct?
Am I legally allowed to play it for a friend while I am present? I would think so.
Am I legally allowed to lend it to a friend for his sole listening? I should think so.
Now... Can I listen to a CD with a friend via the telephone? Doesn't seem illegal to me? Is it?
What about streaming a CD via a webcast to a friend and myself? This is very similar to listening on the telephone... Probably not legal... Why? Is this considered a "public broadcast"? What about the telephone version? Nobody would consider a telephone conversation to be a public broadcast would they?

The line between illegal and legal seems to be very arbitrary, and rather contrived.

Maybe they should follow the Open Source model and give the music away and make money on concerts, t-shirts, etc. ;)

This would also be similar to the way Art sells... $$$ for an original painting, $$ for a limited print, and next to nothing for a poster. I figure it's just a case of particular industry that has become over-inflated in comparison with other industries and is facing a market correction... You can see the panic in their eyes!

Sorry RIAA: law or not no one cares

[Kethinov]

Piracy these days is like liquor during prohibition. It may be illegal, but that's not stopping the masses. I wish the RIAA would just accept that and stop wasting their money busting harmless college kids who just want to listen to music. The RIAA is fighting for a lost cause.