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RIAA Campaign Against Students Hits Stormier Seas

Posted by Zonk on from the get-out-of-the-pool dept.

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "It's been astutely observed that the RIAA's "ex parte" campaign against "John Doe" college students seems to have run into much stormier waters than its campaign against regular folks. Discovery motions were thrown out by the judges in cases involving the University of New Mexico and the College of William and Mary, and motions to quash have been made by students at Boston University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of South Florida. The RIAA might find it particularly troubling that the students are coming in armed with substantial expert witness declarations attacking the entire underpinning of the RIAA's case, that the students are finding each other and banding together, and that the Chairman of Boston University's Computer Science Department went to bat — as an expert witness — for the BU students."

8 of 296 comments (clear)

  1. in defense of the RIAA: by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Funny

    you people think you have reason, science, fairness, morality, justice, and freedom on your side

    ha!

    we have LAWYERS

    lots and lots of LAWYERS

    platoons of them!

    fact: there is no problem we the RIAA have faced that couldn't be solved just by throwing LAWYERS at it. a problem? sue someone! PROBLEM SOLVED! don't you people get it?

    in fact, the entirety of human technological progress, in the form of the internet ruining our business model, means nothing. we can stop progress itself by just suing people

    sue! sue! sue! there: it's all gold and honey again, no more problems

    don't you silly college students get it yet?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  2. Scoob by chub_mackerel · · Score: 5, Funny

    RIAA: "...and I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for those MEDDLING KIDS!!!"

  3. Re:Students are the biggest activist demographic by Jeek+Elemental · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Attacking them aggressively is risky but if the RIAA wins this one, everyone else is going to be gravy."

    Soylent green?

  4. Re:You forgot... by The+Fourth · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, and here at universities... we MAKE our own lawyers.

  5. *Major* (pun intended) miscalculation by Torodung · · Score: 3, Funny

    The RIAA might find it particularly troubling that the students are coming in armed with substantial expert witness declarations attacking the entire underpinning of the RIAA's case, that the students are finding each other and banding together Which is exactly what happens when you attack a group of people who are in the 80th percentile for both wealth and brains. They're also likely to have friends in pre-law/law curricula and/or easy access to their law school's free on-campus legal clinic.

    Has anyone at the RIAA been to a University? LOL.

    They should have stuck to twelve-year-old girls and their terrified parents. They're going to get their asses handed to them on any campus, especially private schools. Anyone who can afford a private school education is likely to be able to afford one hell of a defense.

    --
    Toro
  6. Re:You forgot... by skeeto · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, and here at universities... we MAKE our own lawyers. As long as you remember to run ./configure first.
  7. Re:You forgot... by UnderDark · · Score: 3, Funny

    ha, I just run `emerge lawyers`!

  8. Re:You forgot... by killa62 · · Score: 3, Funny

    and then you wait 50 years