EFF Calls RIAA Tactics 'Reign of Terror'

nanday writes "What happens when the RIAA prosecutes people for alleged illegal music downloads? In an article on Newsforge (also owned by OSTG), lawyer Ray Beckerman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation explains the RIAA's favorite tactics, and why they play fast and loose with the law. Beckerman also explains why two of these cases may stop the RIAA in its tracks - and what you can do for help." From the article: "In UMG vs. Lindor, the defendant 'is a home house-aid who's never even used a computer,' according to Beckerman. 'She's never operated a computer, she's never even turned on a computer. The only connection she has ever had to a computer is that she has on occasion dusted near the parts that she believes are a computer. And yet she is being pursued as an online distributor in peer-to-peer file sharing.' Since Beckerman became involved in the case after it had gone to federal court, he has tried to learn the details of the charges -- so far with little success. 'The RIAA is trying to conceal the information about how it conducts its investigation,' he says. 'They have stalled every discovery request we've made' -- presumably because to reveal this information would also reveal the weakness of all the similar cases."

Comments

Oh, and on a related note

[mmalove]

I have my Microsoft updater running, set to only download critical updates. Apparently, mine and Microsoft's view of a critical update differ slightly, because the other night as I'm about to shut down the comp for the night, I get that little (psst, we're about to install some updates, just click ok). So I've learned better, I look to see wtf I'm about to take up the ass, and low and behold it's Microsoft's Genuine Advantage notification tool, which remarkably doesn't come with an uninstaller.

I guess what I'm trying to say is may the lawyers and RIAA and all there friends go hug a cactus naked in the snow.