RIAA Uses Local Cops In Oregon Raid

newtley writes "Fake cops employed by the RIAA started acting like real police officers quite a while ago — one of the earliest examples unfolded in Los Angeles in 2004. From a distance, the bust, 'looked like classic LAPD, DEA or FBI work, right down to the black "raid" vests the unit members wore,' said the LA Weekly. That their yellow stenciled lettering read 'RIAA' instead of something from an official law-enforcement agency, 'was lost on 55-year-old parking-lot attendant Ceasar Borrayo.' But it's also SOP for the RIAA to wield genuine officers paid for entirely from citizen taxes as copyright cops. Police were used in an RIAA-inspired raid at two flea markets in Beaverton, Oregon. 'Sgt. Paul Wandell, Beaverton police spokesman, said officers seized more than 50,000 items worth about $758,000,' says The Oregonian. But this is merely the tiny tip of an iceberg of absolutely staggering dimensions, an example of the extent coming in a GrayZone report slugged RIAA Anti-Piracy Seizure Information."

Comments

Re:Good For Them

[Doogie5526]

Copyright infringement is a civil issue, not a criminal issue. I can understand if a town or city decides to use their resources to "clean up the streets," but the outcry of this article seems to be about using local police (paid by taxpayers) for what should be private investigation (paid by the RIAA/copyright holder).

No, that's not reasonable.

[twitter]

It's entirely reasonable to presume that all music and movies that were being sold were copyrighted by *an entity other than the sellers* who had *not authorized that sale*, and the work was not in the public domain.

How do you know that it's not Creative Commons or public domain material? One of these cases was tipped off by an angry girlfriend.

So because you think something shouldn't be a criminal matter, it isn't

Democracies are supposed to work that way. Laws should follow morals rather than morals following law. People are put in jail when they outrage the public. I'll settle for repealing retroactive copyright extensions instead of retroactively jailing executives of the MAFIAA companies. Those caught bribing public officials don't get off so easy. Deal?