Lawyer Asks RIAA To Investigate Bush Twins

tanman writes "After reading an article in the Miami Herald that said "[President] Bush's twin daughters gave him a CD they had made for him to listen to while exercising," a Florida lawyer calculated statutory damages of $1.8 million and has sent a letter to the RIAA asking that they 'display the same vigor in prosecuting this matter and protecting the rights of your rights-holders that it has displayed in enforcing those rights against other alleged violators.' From the letter: 'This is a serious violation of copyright. As you know, whichever of your member organizations that are right[s]-holders for the copied musical works may be entitled to statutory damages of $150,000.00 per musical work copied.'" Update: 06/22 18:55 GMT by KD : The lawyer in question has retracted his analysis and now says no laws were broken, probably.

Comments

Excellent

[MysteriousPreacher]

It's about time the RIAA took a stand against these music thieves. A colleague at my work who is known for having copied music went on a shooting spree. If the RIAA had dealt with him, I would not have had to step over bodybags on my way to lunch.

Re:Excellent

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with you liberals is that you think everybody is equal, and that it should always be that way. Not so. GW Bush and his daughters are rich, because they are good, brave, and courageous. They are literally better people than poor people. They wouldn't be rich otherwise.

Wisdom is the skill of knowing what to overlook. Other rich people, who are similarly better people than poor people, know this skill of wisdom. This explains perfectly why rich people overlook other rich people's crimes. It's because they are WISE, you impoverished ignoramous!

The important thing to remember here is that rich people have NOTHING against poor people. If it weren't for the fact that poor people don't have any money, they could be enjoying the very same privileges that rich people enjoy.

And that's how we conservatives REALLY feel about the subject. Fuck Y'all!

Re:Bush twins

[Jafafa Hots]

Um... get real. The person is obviously more pissed at the RIAA than anyone, and just trying to point out that there is a privileged class in this country that the RIAA doesn't go after.

Re:Bush twins

[Bigby]

It's not about hated their dad. It is about whether the RIAA is selectively enforcing their copyrights; and the Bush twins are high profile collateral damage. I don't know about copyrights, but if you know someone is infringing on your trademark and you do nothing about it, you lose that trademark. The lawyer is letting them know about an infringement of copyright.

RIAA vs Bush

[JeanBaptiste]

who in the hell do you pull for in this one?

Re:RIAA vs Bush

[CantStopDancing]

come on, it's like nude-female jello wrestling - you just hope it goes the distance.

Re:RIAA vs Bush

[Joebert]

Thankyou for ruining Jello wrestling for me.

Re:Hit that

[Cheapy]

You take the one on the left. I'll take the one on the right. Be sure to "hit" yours hard.

Re:Must be a slow news day...

[DM9290]

"There is a common practice in law these days called "selective prosecution"..."

You make it sound like this practice is considered legitimate by the Courts. In fact, if you can show evidence that you are being arbitrarily prosecuted and there isn't a legitimate justification, it is grounds in some courts, to have the entire proceedings Stayed as an 'abuse of process'. You must be harmed to bring a civil action. If you have no problem allowing others to infringe on your copyright, then there is reasonable grounds to believe it isn't really a harm. Under English Common law the Court has the power and responsibility to prevent any abuse of the judicial system. Treating individual offenders differently simply because they are a celebrity or politician or the President's daughter (etc) is such an abuse. In fact, not prosecuting the President's daughter may almost be seen as some kind of a bribe or attempt to improperly influence the Executive Branch.

A plaintiff with limited resources is justified in selectively prosecuting simply because they can't possibly go after everyone at once so have to choose their battles. This is not considered arbitrary, but it is a rational, and necessary evil. But the RIAA can hardly claim they lack the resources to prosecute the President's daughter when they are going after John Doe's, who for all they know, are dead broke.

Now perhaps this selective prosecution takes place behind the scenes where no one is looking. (I think we all know it does). But the courts have no power over what happens outside the court room where there is no evidence. It falls upon witnesses to bring evidence forward.

In this case there is evidence. The president himself has publically stated his daughter is guilty of making and distributing pirate music CD. I think that is actually a criminal offense now, is it not?

Careful Now

[WED Fan]

Careful now, all of you Slashdotties are going to be grossly guilty of hypocrisy if you don't support the twins right to make a mix CD. Unreasoned Bushy-hate should be no substitute for doing the "right thing". (That is, if you consider making a mix CD the right thing.)

For all you that feel making a mix CD is piracy, by all means, proceed to bash.

In other news:

• The IRS is investigating this lawyer and auditing his returns all the way back to 1973. Apparently, he didn't claim income for his paper route.
• The Florida State Bar association has been directed to open up disbarrment procedures.
• The Justice Department has opened an investigation stemming from a 1973 incident where he let a customer, an 83 year old widow on a cat food diet, on his aforementioned paper route, not pay her paper bill.
• The U.S. Army is charging him as a deserter for not reporting as a draftee in 1973 when he was 11 years old.
• The McCarthy Committee on UnAmerican Activities was recalled to investigate the paper route incidents as a possible indicator of Commie leanings.
• The Audubon Society has been ordered to investigate the lawyer because he keeps a parakeet in a cage.

The Bush Administration has stated that they know of no connection between these and the lawyer's actions regarding the twins.

Re:Careful Now

[Hatta]

Careful now, all of you Slashdotties are going to be grossly guilty of hypocrisy if you don't support the twins right to make a mix CD. Unreasoned Bushy-hate should be no substitute for doing the "right thing". (That is, if you consider making a mix CD the right thing.)

Hardly. It's entirely possible to be against a bad law, yet be for the even application of it. In this case fair application of the law makes it very clear just how bad a law it is.

Mccarthyism

[TinBromide]

mccarthyism and the early salem witch trials ended when high profile people (read: close to the heart of those doing the prosecutions) were targeted as communists or witches. Hit the president's daughter and senators feel that they might be next and enact laws to save us all.