Slashdot Mirror
RIAA Threatens 15-Year-Old
MunchMunch writes "It looks like the RIAA is still going after teenagers--this time, 15-year old Megan Dickinson was caught sharing 1,100 files. At the maximum statutory damages for copyright infringement, this makes Megan's liability at least $825,000, at most a mere $165,000,000. Naturally, the RIAA benevolently offered a $3,500 settlement to avoid these moderate, legally sanctioned damages. As we can hardly forget, the RIAA has already used this technique to settle with a 12 year old. Megan's unsurprising take: 'Yeah, it seems ridiculous.'"
What ever happened to a good ol' shooting? What, does nobody has the conviction to kill a piece of shit any more? If someone tried to sue me for $800,000, they would die, jail term or not.
Slashdot is proof that Sturgeon's Law applies to mankind.
Without "innocent" users leaving their shared directories open to the world--and consequently the RIAA--their rabid pack of lawyers might have to change tactics and come after the downloaders, who sit in relative comfort for the moment. I salute you, Megan Dickinson. Keep up the good work.
"The lawsuit is demanding the family either pay a $3,500 settlement, or fight the suit and go to court. If they lose, they could have to pay $750 per song."
I have absolutely no idea how laws determine how much the guilty have to pay, but doesn't $750 seem like a little too much?
Considering these are 'soft', I would set their value at $1 each, like online music stores. Has the RIAA lost $750 on each song? Has each song actually been downloaded an average of 750 times?
The $3500 settlement is a little more reasonable, if such a term can be applied to the RIAA. That would mean about $3.18 per song.
WTF? anyone care to enlighten me?
Robert Bindler
A Computer Science student's views on technology.
Christ, I would have loved it if those assholes had said something like that to me when I was fifteen. :
I would have showed them the texas state bird
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and then asked them how the fuck they expected to get that out of a high schooler who worked part-time at burger king.
If anyone pulls this kind of shit on my kids, I'm going to put the lawyer who serves the papers in traction.
If people didn't cave into these kind of scare tactics, especially directed at children, then they wouldn't keep doing it.
PC moderators can suck my White pierced, tattooed dick. If you think pride == hate, s/dick/Aryan meat mallet/g.
Jackson's voice: "I said you screw the kids, not sue them!"
RIAA representitive: "We screwed them, and sued them."
Jackson: "Even then it's not that kind of screw, you idiot!"
RIAA representitive: "You mean, get screws at the hardware store, and attach them to the wall? You're sick. Nails are much better."
Jackson: "I don't believe it? Do you guys even have balls?"
RIAA representitive: "No. We're androgynous aliens from the Planet X, seeking to cause chaos and mayhem prior to our invasion of your discotheques."
Jackson: "Those vanished over twenty years ago!"
RIAA representitive: "Damn. There goes our world conquest for this week."
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
the RIAA, Michael Jackson, and girls under the age of influence?? Could there be a link?