FSF Reaches Out to RIAA Victims

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In what has been termed the ''RIAA's worst nightmare', the Free Software Foundation has announced that it is coming to the aid of the victims of RIAA lawsuits, by establishing an Expert Witness Defense Fund to assist defendants in RIAA cases. The purpose of the fund is 'to help provide computer expert witnesses to combat RIAA's ongoing lawsuits, and to defend against the RIAA's attempt to redefine copyright law.' The funds will be used to pay fees and/or expenses of technical expert witnesses, forensic examiners, and other technical consultants assisting individuals named as defendants in non-commercial, peer-to-peer file sharing cases brought by the RIAA, EMI, SONY BMG, Vivendi Universal, and Warner Bros. Records, and their affiliated companies, such as Interscope, Arista, UMG, Fonovisa, Motown, Atlantic, Priority, and others."

Comments

God

[Anonymous Coward]

That's a slashdot circle jerk if I ever saw one. Worst nightmare? Please.

Ray Beckerman is the fund adviser

[MikeOnABike]

I hate the RIAA as much as the rest of you, but who appointed Ray Beckerman the primary RIAA gestapo? With him as the sole fund adviser, this money wont go to help the average Joe fighting the RIAA, it will go to whichever Ray thinks will hit the RIAA the hardest. What about having a disinterested party as the fund adviser?

Thomas Friedman and the Israeli Lobby

[Anonymous Coward]

Read about Tom's Cheney fetish.

Have a day.

K Trout

Re:And what about?

[Anonymous Coward]

How about the ACLU lawyers fighting for your civil liberties? They're a bunch of socialist Jews that want to outlaw Christianity and bring in more political correctness and the nannystate.

Oh noes! Someone's having an independent though. Stop them!
Oh noes! Something could be considered offensive. Censor it!

How about ... this guy (Abraham Lincoln), both of whom were lawyers. Yeah, fuck the state's right to secede from the Union. Burn the fuckers into submission!

Lawyers represent their clients. You'd be doing better to direct your anger at the RIAA for the lawsuits and not their lawyers. If the lawyers actually had a soul they wouldn't take cases supporting multibillion dollar industries suing people who make minimum wage.

Re:Why?

[Blakey Rat]

The issue of file sharing is already threatening software freedom - if they can help to make it clear that the RIAA are just jerks trying to abuse the legal system, the RIAA will have less power to try to outlaw software.

I'm sure I'll get modded down, but when it comes down to it, aren't these people actually breaking the law? I wouldn't consider any lawsuit against a person who's actually broken the law "abuse of the legal system." And if you truly think it is, then the correct strategy would be to change the law, not help lawbreakers get off. Right?