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RIAA Sued For Amnesty Offer
wo1verin3 writes "CNET News is reporting that the RIAA is being sued because of 'Clean Slate' filesharing amnesty program that was announced on Monday. 'Clean Slate' allows people to (supposedly) avoid legal action by stepping forward and forfeiting any illegally traded songs. The suit, filed in the Marin Superior Court of California, charges that the RIAA's program is deceptive and fraudulent business practice." The suit claims that the amnesty is "designed to induce members of the general public... to incriminate themselves... while (receiving)... no legally binding release of claims", a statement the EFF also agrees with.
"Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home" - Cicero
Sue Brittany's pants off while you're at it please.
That's all. "Hey! Look at us! We're willing to forgive! We're nice guys! Please buy some music."
My business faces ruin. CD sales have dropped through the floor. People aren't buying half as many CDs as they did just a year ago. Revenue is down and costs are up. My store has survived for years, but I now face the prospect of bankruptcy. Every day I ask myself why this is happening.
I bought the store about 12 years ago. It was one of those boutique record stores that sell obscure, independent releases that no-one listens to, not even the people that buy them. I decided that to grow the business I'd need to aim for a different demographic, the family market. My store specialised in family music - stuff that the whole family could listen to. I don't sell sick stuff like Marilyn Manson or cop-killer rap, and I'm proud to have one of the most extensive Christian rock sections that I know of.
The business strategy worked. People flocked to my store, knowing that they (and their children) could safely purchase records without profanity or violent lyrics. Over the years I expanded the business and took on more clean-cut and friendly employees. It took hard work and long hours but I had achieved my dream - owning a profitable business that I had built with my own hands, from the ground up. But now, this dream is turning into a nightmare.
Every day, fewer and fewer customers enter my store to buy fewer and fewer CDs. Why is no one buying CDs? Are people not interested in music? Do people prefer to watch TV, see films, read books? I don't know. But there is one, inescapable truth - Internet piracy is mostly to blame. The statistics speak for themselves - one in three discs world wide is a pirate. On The Internet, you can find and download hundreds of dollars worth of music in just minutes. It has the potential to destroy the music industry, from artists, to record companies to stores like my own. Before you point to the supposed "economic downturn", I'll note that the book store just across from my store is doing great business. Unlike CDs, it's harder to copy books over The Internet.
A week ago, an unpleasant experience with pirates gave me an idea. In my store, I overheard a teenage patron talking to his friend.
"Dude, I'm going to put this CD on the Internet right away."
"Yeah, dude, that's really lete [sic], you'll get lots of respect."
I was fuming. So they were out to destroy the record industry from right under my nose? Fat chance. When they came to the counter to make their purchase, I grabbed the little shit by his shirt. "So...you're going to copy this to your friends over The Internet, punk?" I asked him in my best Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry voice.
"Uh y-yeh." He mumbled, shocked.
"That's it. What's your name? You're blacklisted. Now take yourself and your little bitch friend out of my store - and don't come back." I barked. Cravenly, they complied and scampered off.
So that's my idea - a national blacklist of pirates. If somebody cannot obey the basic rules of society, then they should be excluded from society. If pirates want to steal from the music industry, then the music industry should exclude them. It's that simple. One strike, and you're out - no reputable record store will allow you to buy another CD. If the pirates can't buy the CDS to begin with, then they won't be able to copy them over The Internet, will they? It's no different to doctors blacklisting drug dealers from buying prescription medicine.
I have just written a letter to the RIAA outlining my proposal. Suing pirates one by one isn't going far enough. Not to mention pirates use the fact that they're being sued to unfairly portray themselves as victims. A national register of pirates would make the problem far easier to deal with. People would be encouraged to give the names of suspected pirates to a hotline, similar to TIPS. Once we know the size of the problem, the police and other law enforcement agencies will be forced to take piracy seriously. They have fought the War on Drugs with skill, so why not the War on Piracy?
This evening, my daughters a
There is no god
..and Railroad Tycoon, and Civilization and..
How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life
It doesn't matter if the offer is genuine or not. The question isn't one of intent on the part of the RIAA, but of the actual rights (or release of claims) imparted.
I hope this and other similar suits bring the RIAA down. I don't support bootlegging software or content, but neither do I support terrorism.
The Spoon
Updated 6/28/2011
The bartender say, "Sir, did you know you have a steering wheel down the front of your pants?"
And the pirate says, "Yarr, it's driving me nuts!"
Always fall back on the Bart Simpson way:
;)
I didn't do it.
And even if I did do it, you couldn't prove it.
And even if you could prove it, I wouldn't admit it.
If you never confess, they'll never "know for sure" that you were guilty.
Diplomacy is the art of saying, "Nice doggie!" until you can find a rock.
I wanted to confess and free myself from this evil sin of mp3 trading... here take my 10,000 mp3's on cd and I agree to format my pc....
lmao, I hope the courts eat them alive.
Wait a second, doesn't the RIAA assume everyone is guilty to begin with? I suppose you wouldn't really be incriminating yourself in the RIAA's eyes, just incriminating your self even more than you already were.
Still I agree, it's a bum deal anyway you look at at.
http://fnord.to/fun/riaa.jpg
But what about the time your little girls (who have big, dewey, imploring eyes and cute little hair-bows they made themselves out of old gift ribbons) asked you: "Daaaady? How come the pirates hate us so much? We wuuuuv them!"? Don't you remember? You almost cried. Right there in front of them, and God, and everyone. But you didn't. You were strong for them. You kept it in. Then you replied: "I don't know, honey. But don't worry. With the help of the kind, gentle people at the RIAA, we'll turn them around yet. Just you wait." "Key! Thanks, daaaady!" they chirped, and scampered off, unaware of the evil pirates lurking all around them. Some might go to school with them. Some might be in their own classes. Some might -- poor little girls! -- even be friends with them. Oh, the betrayal they'll know in their sweet lives. But that was not for now. And, with any luck, the benevolent leaders at the RIAA, with a little help from plucky "little guys" like you, might -- just might -- change the world before then.
For those of you reading along, check this guy's info. Giant troll. If that's not enough to convince you, look at the home page: "http://slashdot.org/~trollback/".
"A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
Obligatory...
"It's a trap!" - Admiral Ackbar
- - Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand. - -
" It's complete and total garbage. The RIAA has the right to do this amnesty program. "
[snip]
Yes, RIAA has the right to do anything they want. They're not above the law; they ARE the law (or rather, owns the law.)
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
> I don't think it's being cynical to think it was a trap. What has the RIAA done, either for its customers, or for its artists, that would earn them the benefit of the doubt?
Given us cheap and convenient access to piles and piles of top-quality music in the portable format of our choi-
Uhm, nevermind.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
And here I thought the RIAA was all sweetness and light and Hillary Rosen (Yes, I know she's not associated with them anymore, but this mental image doesn't work with anyone else) would come down in a tight spandex Tinkerbell costume and wash all my sins away! Boy, I almost got taken in, glad you guys were there to save me!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
And since nobody seems to have caught the joke that my above post was the setup lines for, here it is:
What, the RIAA thinks it's part of the government now?
Yeah, and if they're strapped for cash, at least we know they have $2000 to pay off the lawyers...
Man, if you are for real, it's no wonder you're losing business.
:
First off, the conversation you "overheard"...WTF??? No one, anywhere in the entire history of computing has ever said, "Yeah, dude, that's really lete, you'll get lots of respect." in regards to adding files to a P2P network. To get lots of respect means you have to get people to know something is the result of your actions. There is no IRC channel, or newsgroup where you can go and brag, "hey, respect me! I just uploaded Christian rock songs on the P2P!!" And, I guarantee no one who uses words like "lete" respects some one who uploads Christian rock!
This evening, my daughters asked me. "Why do the other kids laugh at us?" I wanted to tell them the truth - it's because they wear old clothes and have cheap haircuts. I can't afford anything better for them right now. "It's because they are idiots, kids", I told them. "Don't listen to them." When the kids went to bed, my wife asked me, "Will we be able to keep the house, David?" I just shook my head, and tried to hold back the tears. "I don't know, Jenny. I don't know." When my girls ask me questions like that, I feel like my heart is being wrenched out of my chest. But knowing that I'm doing the best I can to save my family and my business is some consolation.
Give me a fucking break! This entire passage sounds almost word for word like some SPAM email that made the rounds a few years ago, trying to get pity donations sent to someone. If this is true, why don't you tell the kids the truth? Maybe they will quit downloading songs off KaZaa while you are at work. Kids CAN handle the truth you know. My dad was a school teacher, and mom didn't work, so I myself had to wear old clothes, and my dad cut my hair. Big deal. No one laughed at me. I even knew why I had to wear old clothes, and to this day, I see no reason to spend $15.00 on a haircut that looks no different than the haircut my wife gives me.
My store specialised in family music - stuff that the whole family could listen to. I don't sell sick stuff like Marilyn Manson or cop-killer rap, and I'm proud to have one of the most extensive Christian rock sections that I know of.
You say this, and you say
People flocked to my store, knowing that they (and their children) could safely purchase records without profanity or violent lyrics.
But, you talk this way to your customers:
"That's it. What's your name? You're blacklisted. Now take yourself and your little bitch friend out of my store - and don't come back." I barked.
and you think in terms of:
I grabbed the little shit by his shirt. "So...you're going to copy this to your friends over The Internet, punk?" I asked him in my best Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry voice.
And, you are:...inspired by artists such as Metallica that have taken a stand against the powerful pirate lobby.
Pirate lobby!?! WTF? I've never heard of a lobby of pirates.
Maybe your business is dropping off because your words and actions do not reflect the wares you are peddling.
And finally,
Once we know the size of the problem, the police and other law enforcement agencies will be forced to take piracy seriously. They have fought the War on Drugs with skill, so why not the War on Piracy?
They have fought the war on drugs with skill, eh? Do you know what the number one cash crop in America is? Marijuana, to the tune of many billions of dollars. As an aside, marijuana is illegal to use, distribute, grow, possess, or any thing to do with it. Now, if they fight the "War on Piracy" with the skill they've fought the "War on Drugs"; downloading your precious Christian rock and family tunes that contain no profanity will be an illegal act, however, it will also be the most popular thing since marijuana use!
For those who describe their systems as 'boxen', do you order multiple 'boxen' of corn flakes also?
You are correct in some ways, but see if you can follow my bizarre circular logic:
1. CitizenX downloads a song by Pop Musician.
2. Pop Musician have sold their sold their soul to Satan in return for fame and fortune.
3. Pop Musician puts their heart and "soul" into every song they create.
4. The RIAA are a licensed agent of Satan.
5. Therefore the RIAA do in fact own the copyright of most Pop music.
At least that is how the RIAA plan on defending themselves in court.
http://jesus.everdense.com/
In A.D. 2003 ....
War was beginning
Teenager1: What happen?
Teenager2: Somebody set up us the P2P sniffer.
Teenager3: We get e-mail.
Teenager1: What!
Teenager3: Main mail client turn on.
RIAA: How are you gentlemen!
RIAA: All your MP3 are belong to us.
RIAA: You are on the way to bankruptcy.
Teenager1: What you say!
RIAA: You have no chance to pay us make your time.
RIAA: HA HA HA HA
Teenager1: Take off every share!
Teenager2: You know what you doing.
Teenager1: Move share.
Teenager1: For great lawsuit.
The RIAA owns no copyrights to songs. The member companies of the RIAA own the copyrights. Unless the RIAA has a power of attorney to make a commitment on behalf of its members, then you're confessing your sins to somebody who doesn't have the power to forgive you...
You mean just like a priest?
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
I did that in college. I stole a sign from the library that said something like 'Stealing from the library is a crime.' Ah, memories...
So you are one of those people who see a sign in a store that says "Take three, pay for two" and leave the store with five of whatever the offer was for?
"GNU's not Unix....it's Linux" / Kami "kokamomi" Petersen
Back in the Old days the Record Companys push little 12 year old girls to screw band members, Now the RIAA/Record Companys want to cut the perk out of that for the artist too and screw 12 year old little girls themselfes....
The RIAA is proud of:
1. the decline in perceived value of manufacturing and distribution
2. the decline of musicality
3. the disillusionment of many top-notch artists
4. the pollution of young children
5. the sexual exploitation of young women such as Britney Spears
6. the decline in quality and usefulness of liner notes
7. the decline of cover art
and
8. making thugs into multi-millionaires.
In a just world, their dollar sales would not be slipping.
[Note for readers of English as a second language: Taken literally, the
statements above are nonsense. They are intended to be taken in a
satirical or ironic sense, as a commmentary on the absurd record
industry claim that sales are dropping because of "Internet piracy",
suggesting that there are abundant other reasons, reasons which may
ultimately lead to much worse declines in sales.
]
" I did that in college. I stole a sign from the library that said something like 'Stealing from the library is a crime.' Ah, memories..."
That's the most irresponsible thing I've ever heard of. I wonder how many books were stolen because you thought you had the right to steal signs in opposition of the very sign you stole. How are people supposed to know it is wrong if there is no sign? This is why murder is such a big problem. We have NO fucking anti-murder signs. Wake up people!
My Blog
I hope the people you bought your second-hand CD's from didnt also rub them all over themselves gleefully.
You might catch something!
I have no sig yet I must scream.
see if you can follow my bizarre circular logic: [blah blah blah]
That logic is not circular.
Nor is it rectangular, oblong, or triangular.
It is not ovoid, or spherical, or hypercuboidal.
It is not even logic.
Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
It's like arresting me for possessing the money I found on the street, which was left by rubbers there when they were running away from cops. The court may insist I return money, but they cannot arrest me for the fact I picked them up.
The Fornicating Bank Robbers struck again today, hitting another bank downtown. A bystander tried to recover some of the money, and some.. uh.. other associated paraphernalia, but was ordered to return it.. them.. nevermind.
To satisfy the RIAA, record companies, artists, and for your own enjoyment. You can do the math and send photo copied money to each party for the $1.99 CD you purchased at the garage sale.
at this mirror
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..