Slashdot Mirror
RIAA Grabs Student's Life's Savings
An anonymous reader writes "ABCNews is reporting on a 19-year-old college student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. He created a site named ChewPlastic.com where students could search for files on the university network. Mind you, this is not a music file sharing software, this is just a search engine. Presumably, the search engine was being used to search for music files as well. The folks over at the RIAA did not take too kindly to the idea, and sued the student. He settled but denies any wrongdoing. What was settlement, you ask? His life's savings."
I am assuming the name for this site is derived from the only remaining use for CDs?
Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
Lets see, when I was a college student my Life savings was always near zero, what with the high cost of tuition and beer.
Slashdot is an anagram for Has Dolts, and I am Dolt number 468543
I guess the "and your firstborn" clause of the settlement wasn't made public.
Shouldn't there be a pay-pal link, so we can pretend that we'll donate money?
The news report goes on to state that the RIAA is now prowd owners of an old bike, a Pentium II numerous games, a pair of worn-out jeans and a large untidy pile of magazines.
Seeing as my total life savings when a senior in college was deep in the negative digits, I should have been so creative as to get the RIAA to assume my debt.
---
Jedimom.com, picking out a thermos for you.
StrategyTalk.com, PC Game Forums
Which gives me a genius idea... the only people able to operate P2P sites in the future will be minors. Great move RIAA, push teenagers into crime.
Sig for sale or rent. One previous user. Inquire within.
there out of control.
They're out of control here, too.
So this kid gets sued by the RIAA for writing a generic search engine, is forced to settle for $12,000 (his entire life savings), and his only real shot at recouping all his settlement money is flushed down the toilet by a massive denial of service attack "unwittingly" perpetrated by Slashdot?
:(
This world is a cruel, cruel place.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
how much did you pay for the deer suit and the bullseye?
Hmm, lets see, life savings....
I'm graduating in a few weeks, here in the good old United Kingdom. My life savings....
-£12,000 student loan
-£2,500 credit card and bank overdraft
-£6,000 borrowed from parents.
£32.56 - investment account from about 20 years ago
£1.52 - current account from about 8 years ago
PIII-600, cant liquidate it cause its a tool of a trade.
come on RIAA, I've got 8,000 mp3's and a copy of "find", sue my ass so I can become bankrupt, lose all my debts, and be free with a degree!
France, if they dont give up first.
"The purpose of a lawsuit is not to win but to harass" - L. Ron Hubbard - Cult Founder
Yeah, and we know what that cult's been up to.
--You will rephrase your request for me to go to hell. Goto statements are not acceptable programming constructs
There out of control.
There wolf.
There castle.
Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you wanted to talk this way.
Ironic that one who derides another for lack of "cojones" will post anonymously.
Very few articles make me angry. This one did.
Where the fuck have you been lately?
"...And that is called paying the Dane-geld
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay them the Dane-geld
And then you'll be rid of the Dane!"
Chris Mattern
-Esme
Now, if the RIAA wanted in one swoop to dramatically improve its public popularity, they have a perfect method. Trouble is, of course, they would have no chance of winning the case although their legal case would be stronger.
My High School government teacher, Mr. Barnabo, was a big advocate of this. He was very blunt about the way the US government actually functions, and it comforts me to know that every year he enlightens another couple hundred high school seniors with his wisdom. ^_^
;^)
Of course, he also knows who shot JFK. (It was the driver of the Limo, a secret service officer. Watch the Zapruder film, and you can see him turn and point something at the pres, there's a muzzle flash, the pres's head explodes, Jackie screams and tries to get away, and another officer grabs her and keeps her in the car as it speeds off. You need to watch the original: most tv documentaries zoom in on the pres and crop out most of the driver at the critical moment)
Granted, Mr. Barnabo was a little cookier than most of my other teachers...
GeekNights!
Late Night Radio for Geeks!
if he gets his money back then he is no worse off financially, and now he knows that they suck big fat major ass. Now he has a purpose in life, to screw them in the a-hole. You can't put a price on that. Plus, you can bet that the RIAA didn't come out ahead financially. They were probably spending $12,000/hour on all the lawyers to take down this one kid. But at least they got lots of positive press out of it. Nothing says "I love the community" more than stomping on the financial future of our nation's youth. I propose a national "hug the RIAA day" to show our appreciation to these fine people.
> He should have faught.
> You should have failed your English class.
Maybe it was an American English class, in which case the proper tense would be:
He shoulda faughted.
With a bigass note that says (drum roll please)
CHANGE YOUR WAYS!!!
I just sent him $50 - that's the least I can do.
Nah, the least you could do is not send him anything. Like me.