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RIAA Says Accused Students Are Settling

Posted by kdawson on from the cheap-at-half-the-price dept.

As we've been reporting, the RIAA has been offering settlements to college students suspected of sharing music online. Reader Weather Storm notes that more than a quarter of the alleged music pirates have accepted the RIAA's offer. Quoting: "...an attorney Ohio University arranged to meet with its students... said $3,000 is the standard settlement offer, though cases have settled for as much as $5,000."

4 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. hrmm by Mowie_X · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What choice do they have but to settle really? Unfortunately the RIAA can throw mountains of money into any legal proceeding, what's Joe Pirate to do :) ?

    1. Re:hrmm by Seumas · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yeah, I don't see why the RIAA is bragging about this. It seems more like a great example of their rampant abuse of the legal system and young people. If you have a team of lawyers that you spend tens of millions of dollars on each year sending me a threat that you will take me to court for millions of dollars unless I pay you $5,000 -- I'm going to pay you the $5,000. No matter how justified I may feel I am and no matter how completely innocent of any accusation I may be, the $5,000 is probably a tenth the cost I will end up spending on a lawyer and there is little chance that lawyer will be able to appropriately defend me against a team of lawyers who spend $5,000 on their combined lunches.

      As I've said before, guilt and innocent have nothing to do with the law. It's all about who can afford the best lawyer. And, unfortunately, in most cases it's a matter of who can afford a lawyer *period*. That is the same reason that only famous and rich people can afford to go to court when someone slanders or libels them or violates their copyrights. Who wants to spend the thousands of dollars or tens of thousands of dollars to take someone to court who has a big, fat, malicious mouth but no money with which to compensate even when you win?

      So, when it comes down to it, monetary status dictates that the RIAA is correct and the accused are - indeed - guilty.

    2. Re:hrmm by dreadknought · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Live a life on the seas and shoot cannonballs into the RIAA's, Sony's, BMG's, et al headquarters?

      There, fixed that for you. We have to remember to target more of our hatred at the record companies themselves, rather than the RIAA, otherwise the record companies get off scot free.

      --
      What you reap is what you sow
  2. Never mind the pirates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even the innocent will settle. The only people who stand a chance are those who are so obviously innocent that the RIAA case against them is ridiculous. If you're a 95 year old illiterate, non-computer-owner there is still a chance that the RIAA will come after you because somebody with the same name lives within twenty miles of you. The RIAA will continue to push the charges even after they should know they have no basis because most people won't/can't afford to fight back.

    If there is ANY chance that you could be guilty, you don't stand a chance no matter how innocent you are.