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IFPI Threatens UK Academic For Linking To Article

Posted by kdawson on from the we're-gonna-tell-on-you dept.

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Apparently the RIAA is getting sensitive about counterclaims. When a British blog author linked to a recent article about a defendant's counterclaims for extortion and conspiracy by the RIAA in a Florida case, UMG v. Del Cid, a record company executive who sits on the board of the RIAA's UK counterpart, the IFPI, threatened the author if he did not take his link down."

5 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. It's called a "Chilling Effect" by advocate_one · · Score: 5, Informative

    see here

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    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  2. protection money by timmarhy · · Score: 3, Informative

    protection rackets operated in the exact same way. heavy guy comes in and gives you notice that unless you payup he'll make you suffer. and don't go to the cops ( or in this case, fight back in court ) he'll make it worse for you and everyone else.

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    If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
  3. Re:Really? by Angostura · · Score: 3, Informative

    Indeed. That final link is appalling. The first link is the one you want, it has the full set of e-mails and makes for an interesting read. http://newmusicstrategies.com/2007/06/14/an-ifpi-b pi-board-member-writes/

  4. I may be wrong ... by DaveCar · · Score: 4, Informative

    the RIAA's UK counterpart, the IFPI

    But isn't the IFPI the International Federation of Phonographic Industries?

    I think the UK equivalent of the RIAA is the The MCPS-PRS Alliance?

  5. Re:Hardly a threat. by NewYorkCountryLawyer · · Score: 3, Informative

    I can see why the RIAA/IFPI/et al think that threatening his uni might work and that anyone working for a uni doesn't have a right to speake against corporations (particularly protection rackets). I seem to recall that universities in the US have run away scared and offered money when threatened by the RIAA and not protected their students and staff (or even helped the RIAA sue them) even the innocent ones. Also, academic research is increasingly run for the benefit of corporations in the style of a protection racket with academia rolling over to any corporate demands. Didn't universities co-operate on stopping mathematicians discussing illegal primes too? Even closer to home are the RIAA's unlawful, ex parte, "John Doe" proceedings which have been brought to get the names of the universities' students. I have yet to see a university even attempt to fight one in court. Instead, to date, they have been quiescently (a) waiving their students' due process rights, and (b) turning over their students' confidential information.
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    Ray Beckerman +5 Insightful