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RIAA Now Filing Suits Against Consumers Who Rip CDs
mrneutron2003 writes "With this past week's announcement by Warner to release its entire catalog to Amazon in MP3 format with no Digital Rights Management, you would think that the organization that represents them, The RIAA, would begin changing its tune. Instead, they are pressing on in their campaign against consumers by suing individuals who merely rip CDs they've purchased legally. 'The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings.'"
What always surprises me a little is that none of the people they're suing have opened fire in the RIAA offices. While that would be horrible and I can't condone the taking of innocent lives (such as the Pepsi machine refill guy who happens to be there at that moment), I'm still kind of amazed that nobody's done it.
Seriously, though, how do those cretins sleep at night? Even if they don't care about the lives they've destroyed, surely they care about the idea that someone might want revenge. I could imagine someone who loses their house because they ripped a CD might feel like they don't have a lot more to lose.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
By not using Windows you are bypassing the DMCA :D
Maybe the RIAA should surf on over to the iTunes web site. Apple has a full page dedicated to making illegal copies of legally purchased music. Do I get a finder's fee?
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
I'm sorry, reciting the lyrics to a song is copyright infringement. The RIAA will be taking your house, children, and dignity shortly.
Mod offtopic! This thread is about the RIAA, not the government.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
This is slashdot. What dignity?
The RIAA should require all stores selling CDs to display prominent warning signs stating "It is illegal to buy CDs unless you agree to only play them on a CD player. If you copy these onto your MP3 player you will go to jail.".
These signs should preferably be placed close to the cash register to turn back customers who may have missed them elsewhere in the store and be unwittingly about to buy a CD for anything other than their grandfather's dust collecting CD player.
This simple solution should deter this heineious crime of people enjoying the music they buy in CD format, and should also (magically, against all expectations) boost CD sales.
Seeing as Appple's iTunes software supports loading of your CDs onto your iPod or (god forbid!) playing them on your PC, it's obvious that the RIAA should also ligitate against Apple to cripple ITunes functionality, and stop people from buying CDs for these nefarious listening purposes, and this should also magically boost CD sales.
You just broadly communicated a method to circumvent a copy protection device.
Also, remember back when the President was on TV and was asked what was on his iPod... Beatles. The only way it got there was if he (by the RIAA definition) pirated it.
Why do you hate America?
Clearly he didn't "rip" the music. He "liberated" all those poor oppressed bits from the tyrrany of an undemocratically-elected plastic disc.
The way that guy runs conflicts, he'd get pissed off at the RIAA and end up attacking General Motors for it, because the iPOD in question had once been in his Chevy...
Great. Now you've given the RIAA/MPAA a case that will allow them to sue you just for having an alternate OS.
Thanks.
This is slashdot. What dignity?
That Deacon Blue song you downloaded off Napster at 3am back in the day, that you play when no one else is in the house.
Stick Men