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Suing Your Customers: Winning Business Strategy?

Posted by michael on from the history-lesson dept.

Cobarde Anonimo writes "The Knowledge at Wharton has an interesting text about the RIAA strategy of suing its customers. As Wharton legal studies professor G. Richard Shell writes below, this same tactic was tried 100 years ago against Henry Ford. It didn't work then, and it won't work today."

3 of 395 comments (clear)

  1. More commenly known as... by nizo · · Score: 5, Funny
    ....about the RIAA strategy of suing its customers....

    I think this is more commonly known as an "exit strategy" in the business world.

    --
    I Am My Own Worst Enemy
  2. The best thing about the strategy by chia_monkey · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They best thing about the RIAA's strategy is that their heavy-handed tactics have brought them to the mainstream press and now has A LOT of people pissed at them. Before, it was just rumbling amongst the geeks and a few other industry players. But suing 12-year olds, suing thousands of people, going after anyone and everyone with reckless abandon, has forced even the most average news-reading Joe to go "man...what a bunch of sleezeballs". Had the RIAA kept this an underground fight and sued more discriminately, they may have succeeded in their scare campaign. Luckily they didn't and now that it's in the mainstream press maybe something will be done to halt their actions.

    --

    "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts...for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang
  3. We blame the lawyers, but... by Jerf · · Score: 5, Insightful
    You know, we all blame the lawyers but it's this:
    If I'm in a situation where I have no choice but to retain counsel, I sure as hell want an attorney who is going to win on my behalf, not fight fair. Once a matter ends up in the courts, the gloves are off.
    that's the real problem.

    If this attitude wasn't pervasive ("win at all costs!"), we wouldn't have scummy lawyers. The scummy lawyers are just providing the services we want.

    There are some things more important then "winning". In fact, there's a lot of things more important then winning.