Leaked RIAA Training Video

An anonymous reader writes "Gizmodo has a clip of that RIAA training video produced with the NDAA for US prosecutors that was leaked to torrent sites a few days ago. It argues they should pursue piracy cases because it leads to bigger and badder wares, like handguns, drugs, terrorist orgs, and hardcore repeat offender criminals. It's kind of sad how far they're stretching to bring law enforcement into the matter."

Comments

That solves everything!

[themushroom]

Because, you know, terrorists always watch pirated movies and download pop albums, and they're constantly Torrenting weapons of mass destruction (though it takes awhile with their throughput).

RIAA, Homeland Security... who knew they were one and the same?

Re:That solves everything!

[Jarik_Tentsu]

In future news...

George W. Bush: We have EVIDENCE that Sweden is hosting the servers of mass destruction owned by the notorious terrorist organisation, The Pirate Bay! Sweden is refusing to shutdown this evil group, so we must invade them to maintain peace in the world!

Random Person: But Mr. President...what does file-sharing have to do with terrorism?

George W. Bush: You must have missed that informative video presented by our friends, the RIAA linking file-sharing to terrorism. These 'torrents' can cause mass destruction and have already resulted in billions of dollars of damage to our economy and this is the beginning to them...torture, rape and murder is what is to come! We must liberate the internet from the tyranny and dictatorship of these file-sharers!

*Post-War with Sweden*

George W. Bush: I don't understand! We flattened every single server cluster in the country and Pirate Bay is up again...!

CIA: It seems they have multiple mirrors across the globe.

George W. Bush: They're all terrorist supporters! NUKE THEM ALL!

~Jarik

Re:That solves everything!

[cgenman]

It's true, isn't it? Your average terrorist is probably out there pirating software, cheating on their spouses, and experimenting with illegal narcotics.

Of course, terrorists also eat, go to the bathroom, and occasionally bathe too. That's because it's what people do. Correlation does not equal causality, unless you're very well paid to believe so.

Re:That solves everything!

[superash]

Pirate Bay's reply to George W. Bush - "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

Re:That solves everything!

[Anonymous Coward]

Well it's obvious you haven't got a fucking clue what you're talking about because the video is NOT talking about downloads, it's talking about ACTUAL piracy. That is, counterfeiting. Copying something and then selling it for a profit. And you know what? I'm dead set against that. I support the police and the MPAA/RIAA in their crusade to stamp out counterfeiting, because that really DOES harm the producer as well as the consumer. I only wish they'd spend half the effort stamping that out as they have trying to convince people that copying DVDs and CDs is wrong.

Re:That solves everything!

[KDR_11k]

I thought when you said actual piracy you meant boarding freighters, killing the crew and taking their valuables. I can see how that might lead to more violent crimes.

Re:That solves everything!

[Gandalf_Greyhame]

So Comcast aren't limiting their "unlimited" broadband service - they are fighting terrorism

Re:That solves everything!

[Fred_A]

I thought when you said actual piracy you meant boarding freighters, killing the crew and taking their valuables. I can see how that might lead to more violent crimes. I can't.

But then I can't really find a "more violent crime", especially since I know a number of people who have been captains or senior officers on large long haul freighters that have seen piracy up close. Even cruise ships and private small crafts such as sailboats aren't immune either in some areas.

Piracy can get very very nasty despite the romantic image it currently carries.

Re:That solves everything!

[EzInKy]

as a content creator, maybe you can explain to me why if a potential customer gets my software and pays someone else for a pirate copy, that's bad, and if they just pirate it without paying thats ok?


Because in the first case someone is making money off of you while in the second the second they are simply sharing information.


This idea that non commercial theft is ok is just a pathetic justification people use for their own greed.


Sharing information is not greed, it's quite the opposite as a matter of fact. It is a natural human trait that enables people to pass knowledge and culture from one generation to the next.

Re:That solves everything!

[cinderblock]

Torrents are an excellent way to distribute WMDs.

The web tells them where all the pieces are. Fanning out, each terrorist has a specific piece to retrieve. Back at the base (that doesn't exist), they reassemble the pieces. Some are discarded because they don't quite fit so they need to go out and get better copies.

Every once in a while, the US pretends to be selling pieces only to turn around and tell them to stop building WMDs. They cut their internet connection temporarily until they call the security office and have their service reconnected.

After each WMD is assembled, they are watched and then stored until later when they want to watch that WMD again.

This entire time, they get credit with their group for making copies of all the pieces.

After a very long time, they are simply discarded.

Some WMDs never get completed, no one has the final piece that is needed to complete it, so they sit collecting dust until they are finally discarded.

Re:That solves everything!

[fbartho]

What romantic image? That kind of piracy has no romantic image, it's modern day boat bound assault and mugging with the added bonus that the criminals often have the greatest chance of getting away with it if they kill everyone (and less chance if they don't). The only romantic imagery associated with the word "piracy" is the comedic pirates of the Caribbean style piracy something purely in the entertainment realm. Which also is entirely different from the casual copy+share methodology if most college students on bittorrent, something that's entirely unromanticized, but it's something that a ridiculous portion of the college demographic participates in to some degree and views as normal while stressing and fearing the RIAA & co. Finally, it's something that is also entirely different from the sleazy pirating for sale which runs rampant in Asia, but that is really insidious when it happens locally.

Muhahahahaha

[Ariastis]

A CD today, tomorrow the world! arrrrrrrrrrr....

Re:Muhahahahaha

[ArcherB]

A CD today, tomorrow the world! arrrrrrrrrrr.... Exactly! Who would have thought of downloading a Bangles tune as a gateway drug?

Re:Muhahahahaha

[Big Nothing]

Actually, they're dead on; I've been file sharing for a few years now and I am thinking of escalating to international terrorism and heroin distribution. It just feels like a natural next step.

Re:Muhahahahaha

[robot_love]

Exactly! Who would have thought of downloading a Bangles tune as a gateway drug?

I agree. Surely the desire to download a Bangles tune is indicative of a pre-existing drug problem.

How?

[TubeSteak]

How will they pursue piracy cases without a Navy?

Re:How?

[bladesjester]

How will they pursue piracy cases without a Navy?

With law Ninjas

Re:How?

[calebt3]

Nations might not approve them piggybacking on the undersea fiber bandwidth.

Re:How?

[An ominous Cow art]

Of course all the RIAA'll be able to muster will be ass Clowns .

gateway crime misinformation

[Will the Chill]

This is just the same old "gateway crime" argument, which, if history is any example, will inevitably be scientifically proven false by statistical studies showing (perhaps a correlation, but) no causation.

All agressive prosecutors (persecutors?) will fall back on this precept when it starts to become clear the "crime" they're fighting against is victimless and thus shouldn't be considered a crime at all.

I find this is mostly caused by greed and ignorance on the part of the persecuting party and any agencies they employ in their unethical battle.

-WtC

*error 404: sig not found*

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[DracusMage]

'Cause you start out stealing songs and then you're robbing liquor stores
And sellin' crack and runnin' over school kids with your car

I never thought that a Weird Al song would actually be a part of the RIAA's groundwork for getting the government to do their bidding. But if the RIAA says that downloading songs is going to lead to running guns and drugs, then we should take this a step further.

In order to better "think of the children" we should immediately disband the RIAA and all of the record companies. I mean, if stealing songs leads to drugs being sold to children, or guns being fired at people, we should do the "right thing" and keep anyone from stealing music. Since they can't do this the way they are going at it, then obviously we should stop the music piracy by stopping the music.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[IdleTime]

USA should follow Norways example on how to deal with RIAA, MPAA and other such extortion outfits.
http://torrentfreak.com/norwegian-police-deal-massive-blow-to-mpaa-lawyer-080220/

"Like many lawyers in the anti-piracy arena, Tøndel tries to blur civil and criminal law to obtain leverage. The police are clear - their priority is investigating real crimes, such as murder and robbery and sadly for him, file-sharing does not fall into those categories. Tøndel must now make his claims against alleged pirates in a civil court.

Following this major setback, Tøndel wrote to the Department of Justice and demanded a meeting with them. Unfortunately for Tøndel, the response wasn't what he'd been hoping for -the Department of Justice completely refused him a meeting- leaving him to start suing IP addresses, which he's not allowed to do. Ouch."

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[webmaster404]

Remind me again how pirating music (or anything for that matter) is a "victimless" crime?

Because what the RIAA calls "pirating" is what most people did in the record days and tape days. I didn't see the recording industry suddenly get bankrupt. What about VCRs that recorded TV did that suddenly make TV stations go bankrupt? Or the TiVo how it skips ads, because I know that it made TV shows stop airing because people "pirated" them and skipped the commercials. The fact is, "pirating" is doing the same job today as radio did 10-20 years ago, promotes the artist. People won't buy something without hearing or seeing it for free, same reason a bookstore will let you read an entire book if you really want to without paying for it. In the end though, even though it hurts the *AA's cashflow for a bit, it will increase it in the long run by gaining new music fans.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[Scrameustache]

This is just the same old "gateway crime" argument, which, if history is any example, will inevitably be scientifically proven false by statistical studies showing (perhaps a correlation, but) no causation. Science which will be ignored by lawmakers and buried by the media.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[Samgilljoy]

This is just the same old "gateway crime" argument, which, if history is any example, will inevitably be scientifically proven false by statistical studies showing (perhaps a correlation, but) no causation.

And the old gateway crime argument is just a form of the ancient post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.

People fill in the gaps in their information with ideology. Unfortunately, a great deal of law enforcement training perpetuates these ideas. Time and again, they'll tell you that people convicted of felony X first committed misdemeanor Y, but they fail to notice that they have no idea how many people actually commit misdemeanor Y without ever coming under the radar. Counterarguments which are under the radar, like the hordes of people who smoke pot but don't do crack, are filed away as potential crack smokers rather than demonstrations that smoking pot does not necessarily lead to smoking crack. They also ignore extensions of their own arguments, and not just the ad nauseam examples. For instance, one could just as easily say that drinking beer leads to smoking crack even in adults, but they won't. Why causal linkages between beer and pot and crack are so strong in kids, while the link between beer and anything "druggy" magically disappears during adulthood is beyond me, but then, I only had 9 years of full-time University education and 3 years of doctoral research, so I guess I ain't clever enough to suss out thar thinkun'

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[tubapro12]

Interesting idea, but the way I see it, if they're going to argue that piracy is a gateway crime, how can they not argue that music makes people violent? I have to offset this with the fact that they are the RIAA, nevertheless, combining these two opinions seems roughly logically consistent to me.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[OECD]

Tøndel must now make his claims against alleged pirates in a civil court.

Nooooo! The humanity!!! Think of the terrorists/children!

Barely off topic: How hard is it for a Yank to immigrate to Norway?

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[TheVelvetFlamebait]

The fact is, "pirating" is doing the same job today as radio did 10-20 years ago, promotes the artist.

Radio stations (and the artists they play) are supported financially, usually advertising. The mere impression of an ad is worth a certain amount of money, and a portion of that money goes towards the artist (if they so desire it). Plus, unlike pirated media, radio can't easily form a library the same way CDs or downloads can, so the radio would encourage to a much greater degree the purchasing of media that could form a library. With radio, you're distributing an advertisement for the music. With piracy, you're distributing the product itself for free.

I'd also like to say that's it's the RIAA's own damn business how they distribute their music. You can make all the recommendations you wish to them about what will help them get more money, but it's ultimately up to them as to what rights outside of fair use they wish to allow. If you don't like it, don't buy it, and don't pirate it. If it's commercially feasible, the free market should spit out a music label that allows more flexible licensing, one that recognises the potential of sharing, but until then, quit giving the government yet another reason to cave to the RIAA's demands.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[hairyfeet]

The problem with that is this---THEY paid off OUR congress critters to change OUR laws!!! I should be able to download Elvis and Jimi and Janis now,they SHOULD be public domain.But thanks to the "bono rots in hell act" or whatever they called it copyright is what,a century and a half or something? The whole point of copyright was a fair trade,you get to make money for awhile,and then WE the public gets a greater public domain to choose from.THEY declared war by raping our public domain and until the law is changed it is an unjust law,and therefore it should be fought at every opportunity.I will not buy their *.AA garbage and if someone wants to steal their crap I say have at it.THEY started it,not us!

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[dbIII]

we should stop the music piracy by stopping the music

You can't stop the music. Nobody can stop the music. Take the cold from snow. Tell the trees, don't grow. Tell the wind, don't blow, 'cause it's easier.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[timmarhy]

"If it's commercially feasible, the free market should spit out a music label that allows more flexible licensing"

Oh please not this fucking argument again. IT'S NOT A FREE MARKET, RIAA are a cartel which buys off radio stations and setups up crappy tv shows.

your argument is fine if the consumer was actually given a real choice.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[robertjw]

That's a great point. I find it interesting how many video tape collections I've seen on garage sales in the last few years since DVDs became commonplace. People are trying to sell their pirated VHS tapes.

It's actually funny how much things change. I remember back in high school in the 80s when it was a big deal to get a bootlegged concert tape. You could get in SERIOUS trouble for bringing a tape recorder to a concert. These days many artists promote it and even have websites where fans can share their bootlegs.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[sconeu]

What about VCRs that recorded TV did that suddenly make TV stations go bankrupt?

They did! Jack Valenti told us they would, and Jack wouldn't lie, would he???

I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[Mr. Roadkill]

Yeah, I know you were quoting Weird Al, but the Alice's Restaurant thing was too good to pass up.

You can get any thing you want at Jon Lech Johansen's Restaurant (Excluding Jonny...)
.
.
"And creating a nuisance", and they all came back and sat next to me on the Group W bench, talking about father raping and selling crack and operating torrent trackers and all kinds of groovy stuff..."

Is that the smell of a brand new Slashdot Meme, perhaps? Or just of Arlo throwing up in disgust?

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[Myrcutio]

There is one assumption thats being made here, that if we didn't pirate the music, we would go out and buy it. Fact of the matter is, alot of people who pirate music do it because they weren't willing to pay for ANY music in the first place. These "damages" (which only really hurt the record companies, the artists make trivial money on actual CD sales), are not actually damages at all. there was never money to be stolen, i as a college student have no money to speak of, and therefore can afford no CD's.

I can definately guarantee that when my favorite band comes to town, i won't be pirating the video of the concert, i'll fork up the cash and go see them. THAT's the only place left to make money off music, live performance.

Re:gateway crime misinformation

[cp.tar]

If you want to read a book for free - go to a library. Does reading the book for free promote the author? Maybe. But you also just took a royalty (that YOU owe them) out of their pocket.

I'm an adult now. I pay for things. I'm not defending the industry and their actions/tactics; I'm just saying the artists deserve to be paid. Too bad I can't collect two cents from you for my opinion, I think you owe it to me.

If artists enabled me to download their music from their site for twice the price they're earning per track now — which is, AFAIK, a few cents — I would gladly do it.
Since I cannot, and my loss would be disproportionately bigger than their gain, I say the hell with it.

MAFIAA's business model is outdated, no longer in step with available technology.
If it were about the artists, they would have adapted the business model to fit modern conditions. Instead, they are trying to adapt us to fit their existing business model.
Some artists have already offered their music on their websites. Many more will follow in their track. When that happens, I'll gladly buy music from them.

While it may be true

[joeflies]

that people involved in piracy of US copyright overseas may be involved in organized crime, it doesn't seem to match the profile of the people they are suing. If they want to fight organized crime, terrorists, etc, then shouldn't years of effort resulted in at least one lawsuit against a terrorist?

Re:While it may be true

[Anonymous Coward]

"If they [RIAA} want to fight organized crime,.."

Family doesn't fight family - capish?

Re:While it may be true

[kb0hae]

The RIAA and MPAA need to get their shit together.

1-When I rip songs from a legally purchased CD to OGG files on my computer, that is NOT piracy, anymore than making a compilation CD of my favorite songs from my collection of legally purchased CD is.

2- Recording from radio and TV stations that are broadcasting over the air has always been allowed...it is NOT piracy.

3-P2P downloads of music and movies have been shown to increase sales of music and movies...People don't like to buy something that they haven't heard/seen. Downloading copyrighted movies and music via P2P IS piracy, but it is not hurting the movie or music industry as much as they are hurting themselves by trying to hang on to their outdated business model, and treating their customers like they are ALL criminals.

4-This is the Big One...The RIAA, and MPAA need to go after the big pirates...you know...the ones who are making hundreds of thousands of illegal copies of copyrighted movies and music, and selling them all over the world.

Of course, I am not saying anything that the folks on /. don't know...

Re:While it may be true

[poot_rootbeer]

Recording from radio and TV stations that are broadcasting over the air has always been allowed...

It's always been tolerated. "Allowed" is perhaps too strong a word, since there's nothing in copyright law that explicitly affirms one's "right" to create for personal use a permanent copy of a protected work that has been freely distributed.

The RIAA, and MPAA need to go after the big pirates...you know...the ones who are making hundreds of thousands of illegal copies of copyrighted movies and music, and selling them all over the world.

No doubt that large-scale commercial bootlegging is costing them more money than than when I rip a disc to my file server, but one of the primary arguments of the *AA's legal strategy (one which they have yet to provide sufficient proof of, at least to me) is that allowing a work to be freely copied via a P2P network IS large-scale bootlegging. It may only take one upload to permit 10,000 unlawful downloads to happen (again, the proof of this hasn't beens hown).

And here I thought...

[hedgemage]

That music downloads only led to communism.
http://www.modernhumorist.com/mh/0004/propaganda/mp3.cfm

Re:Lawyer are god

[themushroom]

Nah, they only look pasty like that. I can't speak on statistics of non-Caucasians securing student loans to law schools, though.

No no no. Stop. Right now. Fucking Stop.

[LordKaT]

NO. Fucking stop it.

STOP RIGHT THERE GOVERNMENT.

I am not going to let you use my tax money to start a "War on Piracy" - just like your dumbass "War on Drugs"

STOP. BAD DOG! NO BISCUIT FOR YOU!

Seriously, the only way you can teach these fucking politicians is by hitting them in the nose.

Re:No no no. Stop. Right now. Fucking Stop.

[QCompson]

Seriously, the only way you can teach these fucking politicians is by hitting them in the nose. So, to follow the war on drugs analogy, we should... keep voting for them?

Humorous

[eldavojohn]

This is the one with Tom Cruise, right?

I have not seen the video but I find it quite humorous when some organization's materials for training/brainwashing are leaked and it makes headlines. I.E. Scientology, RIAA, etc. What would even be funnier if the RIAA took the same position the Church of Scientology did and tried to repress this video.

Repression of information is the first sign of a flawed ideology. As we've seen in many court cases in which they've shut down systems, the RIAA is against any kind of information sharing via P2P software and therefore has a flawed ideology.

It all started so innocently.

[palegray.net]

It was the heady days of the dot com era, and I was but a wee lad hacking away in my bedroom. One fateful day I stumbled upon a website called Napster, and soon began downloading hordes of ill-gotten music. Before long, my insatiable craving for tunes led me to buy more hard drives, then a RAID enclosure, then an enterprise-level SAN... I should have seen the warning signs.

I gradually withdrew from my friends and family, unable to control my urge for more tunes. I knew it was wrong, but it felt so... right. I began using other filesharing software, and soon experienced strange hallucinations involving limes and wires. I told a friend about it, and he gave me some pills to help me sleep better at night. The troubling dreams and hallucinations faded, but now I couldn't stop taking the pills. Chain smoking, heavy drinking, and chronic pacing soon developed. I was having trouble concentrating on anything other than file swapping, and began using crack cocaine to improve my focus. My teeth began to loosen in their sockets, and I was fired from work after failing a drug test.

Now I live on the streets, feeding my addiction through unsecured wireless hotspots that I access through a Pentium 90 connected to an exercise bike generator. My crack cocaine consumption has skyrocketed due to my need to constantly pedal the bike lest my rig lose power. Heed my warning: sharing and downloading music will ruin your life! Contact your local RIAA liason to seek treatment immediately. It's not too late... friends don't let friends use filesharing software.

Re:It all started so innocently.

[garett_spencley]

"Now I live on the streets, feeding my addiction through unsecured wireless hotspots that I access through a Pentium 90 connected to an exercise bike generator. My crack cocaine consumption has skyrocketed due to my need to constantly pedal the bike lest my rig lose power"

Well on the bright side, at least you're staying in shape ...

Re:It all started so innocently.

[song-of-the-pogo]

Well on the bright side, at least you're staying in shape ...

and carbon neutral

Training?

[ezwip]

If you have not seen the video you can search for it on piratebay.org

The Irony Is...

[fsckr]

That many of the 'artists' that the RIAA protects are hardcore repeat offender criminals that are pimping the handguns, drugs etc etc

ROFFLCOPTER

[Creepy Crawler]

The story forgot something...

The link of the TORRENT ...or search RIAA training video on piratebay

You know what?

[The Ultimate Fartkno]

I'm in the entertainment industry. I'm one of those corporate media whores who "hasn't come up with an original story in decades" and "keeps shoveling sellout pop shit down (your) throats" and "wouldn't know real talent if it walked up and kicked (me) in the balls." I'm part of the complex, epic machinery that creates the media that all of you "share" because it's all shit and worthless and you wouldn't bother downloading it if you weren't "sticking it to teh mang" and at the end of the day my rent and car payment and grocery store bills all depend on selling the stuff that you all pretend to loathe while you're copying it at terabytes per day.

And, sadly, all that being said I'd still rather have you guys steal all my work in "protest" than have the RIAA represent me and blame the Pirate Bay for 9/11, herpes, Ashlee Simpson's "career," and the fucking Kennedy assassination.

Seriously. I hate those assholes.

I still have rent to pay, though, so go buy a fucking CD you torrented or something, okay?

Re:You know what?

[mdenham]

Considering how I don't listen to any (well, hardly any - "Still Alive" is catchy) music newer than about 1987, how about you just burn me a "Best of Black Sabbath" album and I'll write you a check for $6.95?

Re:You know what?

[evanbd]

People on the internet are diverse. Those of us who complain about the RIAA and modern pop music aren't necessarily the same ones downloading their wares. It's no more reasonable to lump all internet users together than it is to lump all musicians or RIAA employees -- less so, in fact, seeing as it's a larger and more diverse group.

Oh, and I have bought CDs I torrented. In fact, I've got a couple sitting in an online shopping cart waiting for another addition or two. You may find it odd, but exposure to music results in purchases.

Re:You know what?

[The Ultimate Fartkno]

I'll do you one better. You go here...

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3678098/Black_Sabbath-The_Best_Of_Black_Sabbath-2CD-(Remastered)-2007-EO ...and download it yourself. You burn it and send Sabbath a check, as I had nothing to do with it and have no claim to their cash. If the boys in the band like their arrangement with the label then they'll kick back some of the money. If not, then their beef is with the suits. Either way, I'm okay with it.

However, you should be warned that by downloading that torrent you're supporting communism, AIDS, baby rape, and late fees at video stores. I hope you're happy with yourself, you amoral hooligan.

Re:You know what?

[RealGrouchy]

Well, you want my two cents?

Because that's probably all you'll get out of it if I were to buy a CD, or a legal download, after the RIAA take their cut.

- RG>

Re:You know what?

[totally bogus dude]

I think you and the brown guy are confused about how people get paid. Most people in the "entertainment industry" get a salary or hourly wage for doing their job, just like your average IT worker gets paid a certain amount for performing their job function. The amount of sales of the product in a given month has no direct impact on their paycheck, and they aren't paid a proportion of sales.

However, if not enough people buy the product, the business starts laying off salaried staff to try to reduce their operating costs; or potentially shuts down altogether.

So these "2c are all you'll get" comments aren't clever or insightful or even funny, they just show your ignorance.

Whether or not we should care is another matter, of course.

Public education campaign

[Anonymous Coward]

While it is good to have employees believe in the company I do not think that is what this video is about. They want high profile crime with media coverage to be associated with piracy. This will cement the "evil" in the publics view of piracy. Even if it is incidental, having that association there will eventually cement the opinion.

Its not saying where you find piracy there will be terrorism. They are saying to law enforcement to use piracy as an excuse to bust otherwise known criminals. This will lead to the association of piracy with hardened criminal activity. Mentioned frequently enough in the news it becomes a very powerful public education tool.

--
Anonymous

Re:Public education campaign

[Chrondeath]

Do people associate tax evasion with mobsters because of Al Capone?

Re:More on the Lawyer war

[QCompson]

One more attack by the Lawyers on the rest of society. It's them against us and they write all the law and sit in judgment on those laws. The end result is less and less liberty and justice. If you even speak out against them you are branded a terrorist by their filthy guild. Filthy lawyers. Too bad there isn't a group of people, knowledgeable about law, who would defend you against these evil scum lawyers... you know, some sort of protectors who would present a defense against these bloodthirsty prosecuting attorneys and the corrupt legal system.

I say this with the utmost respect

[Smordnys s'regrepsA]

Most of us WANT you to lose your job. Nothing against you personally. A lot of us know how you feel, stuck in a dieing job with bosses who don't understand what is happening with/to the world.

I don't hate your musicians, I just hate the fact that some spoiled brat can make twice as much as me with half the effort and no college degree. I hate that those brats are being taken advantage of by overgrown bullies that make more money than I can, with low level degrees from classes whose main requirements to graduate are Show Up, and Bullshit Convincingly. I hate that there are sound technicians who took years out of their lives to learn how to use complex machines to make music sound better, when I can do the same damn thing with a $500 microphone, $1000 computer, and free/second-hand software that requires a week of spare time to master ($500 mic optional, I've heard some damn good professional-quality music come from a $25 mic).


Lucky for you for as bad as your industry's future looks, it will take quite a while to crash and burn. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Re:I say this with the utmost respect

[MadnessASAP]

I was pretty much with you right up until the end. Being a sound technician is a real art that requires alot of dedication and practice, I gurantee you that you will not be even close the their abilities regardless of whose using what equipment in a week or even 5 years. Not to mention that alot of artists and sound technicians aren't payed what they're worth but at least the independent artists are starting to gain alot more traction and it's now starting to be feasible to be your own label.

More info from Gizmodo

[DigitAl56K]

Gizmodo wrote:

This is a leaked official RIAA training video produced with the National District Attorneys Association telling U.S. prosecutors why they should bust music pirates: Because it'll lead them to "everything from handguns to large quantities of cocaine [and] marijuana," not to mention terrorists and murderers! Like the author of TFA, I haven't seen the video (yet), but I'd hope conversations with members of the judicial system go something like this:

RIAA: "When we followed leads gathered in the process of prosecuting people for piracy we found other people we could prosecute for drug possession, terrorism, and murder!"

J: "Are you trying to say that the people you originally investigated were guilty of drug possession, terrorism, and murder, and that all people you intend to have prosecuted for piracy will also be guilty of drug possession, terrorism, and murder?"

RIAA: "Well, erm.. no..."

J: "So.. what are you saying?"

RIAA: "Well, piracy could benefit drug dealers, terrorists, and murderers, and so you should prosecute pirates with heavy penalties!"

J: "Have you filed charges against, say, The Pirate Bay, for sponsoring drug dealing, terrorism, and murder?"
RIAA: "Well... no..."

J: "Wouldn't you say that anybody providing a service to unknown clients, e.g. a website, may quite innocently service drug dealers, terrorists, and murderers in exactly the same way it would service law abiding citizens, making just as much differentiation between the two as your local laundromat?"

RIAA: "Ummm... we need a recess..."

Here We Go Again

[hyades1]

"Reefer Madness" for a new generation.

Re:Here We Go Again

[dintech]

As soon as I get home... :)

if you're just a troll

[circletimessquare]

and you're misrepresenting yourself for fun, you rock dude

if you are actually who you say you are, you rock dude

Relax

[fahrbot-bot]

It argues they should pursue piracy cases because it leads to bigger and badder wares, like handguns, drugs, terrorist orgs, and hardcore repeat offender criminals.

Relax, the RIAA is just speaking from *personal* experience. Pursuing piracy cases has lead them to become hardcore repeat offender criminals. The video is a *warning* : if it can happen to them, it can happen to you - ooooooooo

Re:I dont understand...

[palegray.net]

The first hit (single) is always free...

Re:More on the Lawyer war

[QCompson]

The only difference between a defense attourney and a prosecuting attourney is which one fell asleep during the bar exam. If only that made a difference. Bar exams are pass/fail. Your joke fails.

WMD?

[Duncan Blackthorne]

Bittorrent == WMD (Weapon of Mass Downloading)?

Re:In the nicest way possible...

[rk]

While I hate the RIAA bastards, too, I really found this comment hideously offensive.

Do you have any idea how valuable a truck full of blank media is? What a shameless waste.

Re:we are like SO legion

[Spy der Mann]

Can we now have a bunch of idiots upload time lapse videos of clouds with synthesized voice overlays declaring the end of the RIAA?
Please?
Can we?

They can even wear Guy Fawkes masks if they want!

I'm no moron, my mate, but I'll merrily meet your invitation. Let my moniker be my mask.

*clears throat*

"The anti-MAFIAA Manifesto" (v3.06)

Market Momentum. A marginal improvement in a massive move of milliards of monetary units. Mobs maintaining their millionaire manors with a martial ministry, marauding and muzzling the melomaniacs who made the mistake of mounting multi-user music-sharing programs onto their microprocessors, mostly for an ear-mashing, mundane and monotonous munch of music, with a miserable "remastered" dynamic range.

The Machiavellian Music Industry, the Movie Masterminds and their malevolent minions, muscled by the majority of the media, masquerade their managers as martyrs to maintain a megalithic marketing model, misleading the masses into malls like mules, macerating -no, milking- their income and molding them: With mesmerizing melodies, moronic mottos, mountains of merchandise and meticulously mannered nominations, those monsters mutilate the masses' minds, melding them into not more than mere mammals, with a microscopic mental magnitude, matching the mud and the moss.

Myth? Misstatement? Madness? MATERIALISM!

Meanwhile, in their magnificent mansions, the mink-mantled magnates morbidly mock the minorities' misfortune, while moistening their mouths in martinis under the moonlight, and masticating their meat and marshmallows like no tomorrow.

Those mischievous moguls magnify their monumental monopolies by multiplying their machinery: Digital Rights Management, DMCA, "Trusted" Computing (Mr. Stallman was not mistaken). Maltreating musicians, misusing copyright to the max, mirroring the Matrix by mining the government to monitor communications, marching like the militia to school meetings in the mornings with menacing memos, mirthfully mismatching mortified mothers for maleficent mobsters, mandating most into misspending more and more (or be imprisoned). Their main motivation is no mystery: Money.

Money! A metastatic misery, a muddling myopia, a momentary make-believe, a magnetizing mirage! A manipulating mephisto, which metamorphoses the meek into mercenaries and murderers, making them moan like Midas in a maniacal manner: "mine, mine, mine!!" Is modesty no more?

MONEY! MAY OUR MAKER MALEDICT THEE!

(Meditate my musing for a moment)

This melee, to maximize their market share. Most of mankind's malignancy is merged into a man-made monster of mastodonic measures. A mammoth called MAFIAA. Months pass, and the multitudes mourn the ever-minimizing mobility of their mediocre minds, amidst marred music, meaningless media transmissions, and miniaturizing freedom. This multinational massacre must be terminated, but most men make meager or no moves, at most mimetizing their communications with muTorrent, masked by the mist of encryption. Is this illegal? Maybe. Morally wrong? Maybe, maybe not (memorize this term: Civil Disobedience).

IT IS MANDATORY THAT WE DO MUCH MORE, OR THIS MACABRE MELTDOWN WILL MOVE ON!!

Militate and manifest yourselves in the metropolis! This is a major command! Miraculous modifications start as a minimal idea in a man or a woman's mind. Maintain your might! Manly move forward, and donate money to your magnanimous comrades, the EFF and FSF, for their mission is not minor! But if you malinger...

Memorize my message, merciless mice! You might enjoy your freedoms for a minuscule moment - you shall miss them in melancholy for millennia, after they mutate into a marooned, mummified memory in a mausoleum named morgue. Misunderstand me not: this moderate memento, merriment to many, may be a premonitory ultimatum.

A MAYDAY!

Merry to meet you, I'm merely a man behind a mask with a mystifying moniker. I am M.

Recommended

I LEARNED FROM THE RIAA

[Anonymous Coward]

I was one of the first pirates that got caught under the .NET act. i am an avid slashdot reader and love
the articles and this one certainly caught my eye.

I was involved with piracy for one simple reason: education.

to pirate a software was to learn how to use it. Then, build a career on the knowledge
you learned. since knowledge is priceless (until the vapid idea of intellectual property was
invented to draw boundaries in our imaginations) I was not considering piracy a crime, since it was a COPY that I had no funds to pay for.

a Copy of MS Office was 499$. I thought it was worth 499. I just couldn't afford it being a latch key kid with a limited income.

I pirated my whole computer career. Getting my first copy of Windows NT enabled me to have cutting edge technology. Linux would have been free, but I was interested in making a career and took the VOLE path.

Anyway, it fascinates me that even after I was prosecuted by the FBI for conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and spent 3 years probation and .5 years in jail (a real federal prision, mind you) that I still work for a company, that still pirates, and it's so rampant now with volume licensing I still have learned that the lesson is: I AM A TERRORIST.

I will always be a terrorist.
I make bombs in my basement.
(I'm being fascecous however you spell it).
I am causing poverty in foreign countries.

bullshit.

the question will always remain: did I ever deprive someone of the money (hence STEALING) or did I never give them the possibility to MAKE the money (hence, piracy).

It was already decided in the courts (in 1984) and the politicians love to hear MPAA and RIAA sing praises that they are LOSING money.

They LOST the opportunity for the MAINTAIN THE VALUE of the COPY of the PROPERTY BY REQUIRING a LICENSE of something that you cannot CONTROL (a copy, either heard through OSMOSIS or from free marketing from your friend whom just got this really cool CD) or was it because The idea of *ECONOMY* HAS CHANGED.

Now go make some laws that surround the new ECONOMY where the works are judged VALUED by their CONTENT and you have "RIAA and MPAA making pieces of SHIT and demanding payment for it".

Still the same argument. SOMEONE needs money for their hard work.

Why can't we all just do what we ENJOY to do. Do you really need BLING on that finger to make your image? Do you need that money to afford that cocaine and 40's you drink and the mercedes you drive? Do you REALLY need my 15$ to put you at the top of your game?

Cause all I need was a copy of that CD to tell me IT WAS A PIECE OF SHIT.

It actually does solve a lot...

[Serengeti]

Hate to ruin the fun here... seriously I love all of you... but no where in the video were they suggesting that piracy and terrorism, murder or drugs are related.

All that was suggested was that if officers wanted into a suspects home, but did not have enough evidence to issue a warrant on the suspected charges alone, they could use piracy as a means to get that warrant. The intent, which should be obvious by now, is to get into the house so that evidence of terrorism, drug trafficking or violent intent involving firearms might then be 'coincidentally' discovered.

And hey... sounds like it's a great strategy. How many people do you know that haven't pirated anything at all? The police just found themselves a skeleton key.

Re:It actually does solve a lot...

[imemyself]

Interesting, and IANAL, but it seems like that wouldn't necessarily work real well. If mean, if you get a warrant for someone "pirating" music, the only things that they can really look at/take would be the computers, maybe some CD's, etc, right? I was under the impression, that (as some example I read put it), the police could not get a warrant to search a home for a stolen piano, and then arrest the owner because they found drugs in a cabinet, because they could not have reasonably expected to find the piano in the cabinet. Does anyone know more about this sort of thing?

Re:It actually does solve a lot...

[Cassius Corodes]

In theory they can't, but in practice they could easily come up with an excuse, and after they found something its too late.

Re:It actually does solve a lot...

[iminplaya]

The police just found themselves a skeleton key.

"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is
the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough
criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that
it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws."
Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Ch. III, "White Blackmail"

Re:It actually does solve a lot...

[ultranova]

"It's so convenient to have a system where everyone is a criminal" - Adolf Hitler.

And I'm pretty sure most other succesful dictators have had similar notions. Don't attribute to Rand what she clearly didn't invent; whether this should be considered to be to her credit or discredit is another matter.

Re:It actually does solve a lot...

[mitchellfx]

Here's a quote from the video. According to a prosecutor from the RIAA:

"I think number one it has to be stressed that this crime, this type of crime effects quality of life in the DA's, uh, jurisdiction in the cities in which they work and live, but the other thing is that it's a link to a lot of other crimes. And I tell the prosecutors and I tell the police officers that I work with all the time use this type of a crime as a tool this might lead you to a drug investigation...It also has links to terrorism organizations for you federal prosecutors out there..."

You can find this about 2 minutes into the video.

Re:It actually does solve a lot...

[gstoddart]

All that was suggested was that if officers wanted into a suspects home, but did not have enough evidence to issue a warrant on the suspected charges alone, they could use piracy as a means to get that warrant. The intent, which should be obvious by now, is to get into the house so that evidence of terrorism, drug trafficking or violent intent involving firearms might then be 'coincidentally' discovered.

That is a very terrifying concept. Will the RIAA fake some evidence to suggest that someone at that address has been sharing files? Or are the RIAA pushing to have law enforcement have a blank cheque to enter homes on the suspicion that someone might have been pirating music? In which case, the RIAA is trying to get the police to have greater powers to investigate copyright infringement than actual crimes which they are supposed to be investigating?

I fail to see how the police could get a probable cause warrant for piracy without any supporting evidence. Or, are the RIAA trying to claim that everyone is so likely to be pirating that they should be able to enter any dwelling on the presumption that piracy has likely happened, and we don't need any stronger evidence than that?

Currently, the police aren't the ones who are supposed to be investigating copyright issues unless it's on a commercial scale. The sheer idea of making up a bullshit premise to enter a property, and thereby granting legitimacy to having the police as an enforcement arm of the RIAA, is a scary thought indeed.

I seriously hope someone gives these guys the smackdown they deserve over this. This undermines most of the checks and balances in the legal system in sort of a scary way.

How many people do you know that haven't pirated anything at all?

Quite a few, actually -- and without any evidence to suggest that someone did, using the presumption that they likely did is a complete end run around evidentiary responsibility. I think we should be sending police into the homes of the RIAA randomly on the assumption that record execs have a house full of hookers and blow at any given time. See how they like it.

Cheers

Sweden's neutral!

[volpe]

I can see Bush figuring that attacking Sweden would be a piece of cake, seeing as how they're a neutral country with no army.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Foobar of Borg]

I can see Bush figuring that attacking Sweden would be a piece of cake, seeing as how they're a neutral country with no army.

Well, like most other countries, if anyone tries to actually invade Sweden, they would be met with a lot of resistance. You don't need a standing army to get people mobilized in a hurry. Sweden was able to stay out of the first world war and keep an "armed neutrality" during the second world war. There is a short but descriptive video of Sweden during the second world war here. Only the title is in Swedish. The audio is English.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Cassius Corodes]

While that might be true, it takes a while to build up an army, with a professional and experienced core to serve as the officers. You can expand an army to be 10 times the size fairly quickly but you need some core to start from and that can take up a generation to succeed. You need to train the pilots, design and acquire hardware all of which takes time in modern warfare.

As an aside, Sweden stayed out of the first and second war by NOT being important either strategically or resource-wise, rather than some kind of political strategy (they pissed off Hitler plenty but there was really no need to do anything about it). Belgium (in both world wars) and Netherlands + Denmark + Luxembourg + Norway (in second world war) were officially neutral yet got wiped because of strategic and resource reasons.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[me at werk]

I can see Bush figuring that attacking Sweden would be a piece of cake, seeing as how they're a neutral country with no army. Tell my wife I said... Hello.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[arivanov]

No army?

Bwahahaha... They do not just have their own army, they are also one of the biggest manufacturers of weapons in the world. Ever heard of Bofors? Swedes make their own small arms, artillery, tanks, even fighter aircraft.

All of that considerably cheaper than USA or UK and a lot of that much better quality than the USA or UK. They buy some avionics from BAE, but otherwise their weapons industry is mostly native. In fact, IIRC, USA is importing some small arms from Sweden for their special forces. So does UK.

While the Viggens and Griphens do not look so fancy they can actually stand their own against most NATO or Russian aircraft. Same for other Swedish kit.

This is one "neutral" country I will definitely not f*** with. It is neutrality armed to the teeth.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Paolone]

Sweden stayed out of the first and second war by NOT being important either strategically or resource-wise Except for the enormous amount of iron ore mined out shipped out to Germany and Britain, of course: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_iron_ore_during_World_War_II

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Anzya]

Actually, Swedens official strategy for an invasion is to only hold out long enough to allow all our milita to run into the woods and get armed. After that: guerilla/terrorist warfare for all :)

A tactic I belive USA in Iraq called unfair ;)

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Laughing Pigeon]

While the Viggens and Griphens do not look so fancy

Contrary to their vixens though...

This is one "neutral" country I will definitely not f*** with

Your obviously not familiar with those yet!

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[stupidflanders]

The Viet Cong held off pretty darn well without the tools of "modern warfare" in 'Nam. Guerilla warfare is amazingly effective in some situations. Even George Washington used it in the American Revolutionary War:

...he came to understand that what we now know as guerrilla warfare was the only way to fight in the American wild, and he mastered it

I can see it now: Sweede/geeks hiding behind server clusters, plotting raids on Rockstar caches, wearing down the morale of the enemy by constantly playing Hamster Dance.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Ozeroc]

"So who makes those knives then?"

    If you're talking about Swiss Army Knives then I guess it would have to be the Swiss, who live in Switzerland, which is a good drive from Sweden.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[s2jcpete]

The Swedish fielded two volunteer SS battalions during WW2: 5th SS-Panzer Division "Wiking" and 11th SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland"

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[DataBroker]

Sweden was able to stay out of the first world war and keep an "armed neutrality" during the second world war.

I went to Denmark, and was told all about Sweden's "armed neutrality". I was told that the only reason that Sweden was allowed to remain neutral was because it succumbed to Germany's will. It essentially agreed to work full-time supplying war materials (iron ore) if Germany agreed not to destroy it. For more, check out this link.

Minor disclaimer: I'm relaying info a Dane gave me on the Swedes. Don't kill the messenger. Personally, I love all things Swedish and offer the traditional salute; bork-bork-bork!!

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[microbox]

While that might be true, it takes a while to build up an army, with a professional and experienced core to serve as the officers. You can expand an army to be 10 times the size fairly quickly but you need some core to start from and that can take up a generation to succeed. You need to train the pilots, design and acquire hardware all of which takes time in modern warfare

IAAACG (I am an arm chair general), but, AFAIK, Sweden has a very large and well trained reserve comprising of pretty much every able-bodied man in the country. They also have very good defences and professional know-how. The USSR would certainly have defeated them, esp. in a protracted war, but it would have been tough going. They probably would have used paratroopers to capture the main airport in Stockholm, and used significant naval capability.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Anonymous Coward]

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Armed_Forces

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[Ox0065]

so...

compulsory military service (or alternatively community service) exists in Sweden. (^-^) Didn't you know?

...also, as I understood it, Sweden & Finland were instrumental in disabling Germany's hard water (read nuclear bomb) plant for long enough for the USA to steal all the technology / scientists they needed to whip up a couple first. 12 Scandinavian commandos bombed a factory guarded by 500 SS soldiers in the middle of German occupied Norway TWICE with no casualties. They went to ground in the countryside after the first attack. There had been an earlier British attempt of which there were no survivors.

http://www.espionageinfo.com/Gu-In/Heavy-Water-Technology.html

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[CrystalFalcon]

As a non-commissioned officer (2nd Lt) in this non-existent army, I can attest to that. We may look lost in international politics, but we manufacture some of the best weapons available (and some which are not available), and the one thing you wouldn't want is a pissed-off Swedish population taking to arms. Where our politicians fail, the men and women of the country stand extremely proud and do not bend over.

Should a country invade, an aggressive superpower in particular, you'd have every man, woman, and child capable of carrying a gun as rebellion - and Swedes are the organized, cold and rational kind with a chilly, calculating stare. Iraq would look like Kansas in comparison.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[popmaker]

No, they don't. They have an o with dots above it instead. The Danish have the o with the line through it.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[carps]

"Sweden does have a military- current strength is 65,500 members." I understand they would like to expand, but ever since their forces began computerized recordkeeping they inexplicably can't get over this 65,500 level.

Re:Sweden's neutral!

[mjwx]

Hard water must mean something different in Germany

Hard water in Swedish and Nordic dialects (and others if I have forgotten them) can mean Heavy water in English. Heavy water contains a higher than normal ratio of Deuterium isotopes (D2O or 2H2O) which is used in the construction of Nuclear and Hydrogen warheads.

Given the context the OP is probably a European and its just a translation error between Hard Water (mineral content) and Heavy Water (Deuterium content). It's a common mistake for Nordic and Germanic translations.

K, how about medication

[Serengeti]

Ease up a bit. I'm starting to think I'm crazy, as no one else seems to have grasped that they aren't saying that Terrorists, Murderers and Drug Dealers are all also pirates...

What they're saying is that law enforcement can use piracy to access suspected terrorists, murderers and drug dealers property by means of warrants that they wouldn't otherwise be able to obtain.

They're suggesting that Bob, a drug dealer, by chance also pirates Britney Spears MP3's. So the cops use that as reason for a warrant. While searching Bobs apartment for Britney Spears related material, they also //just happen to stumble on// Bobs coke stash. They don't care about the piracy angle so much as the fact that it can be used as a tool for other means.

You misunderstand

[einhverfr]

Going after piracy cases leads to terrorist organizations-- you know, organizations which terrorize people.

What they mean is that going after piracy helps bolster one of these organizations, known as the RIAA.....

I can see it now...

[Landshark17]

*two brothers, Billy and Timmy come home, Billy is listening to his iPod*

Mom: Billy, did you legally obtain all the music on that iPod?
Billy: Yes, mom.
Mom: Mrs. Johnson told me her son lent you a CD... you know that's piracy!
Billy: But, mom!
Mom: No "buts"! You're grounded and no internet for you until we're sure the RIAA isn't tapping our computer!
Billy: But Timmy stabbed a kid at school today!
Timmy: The voices tell me to hurt people.
Mom: Did he violate international copyright law?
Billy: There were cops and an ambulence and everything!
Mom: You didn't answer my question.
Billy: No. He didn't.
Mom: That's right. Now you go to your room. Timmy, would you like some ice cream?
Timmy: I want to burn things.

Re:Gateway Drug?

[Creepy Crawler]

A Gateway drug? But my PC is a Dell.

Phone them

[Myrkridian42]

The scanned letter that comes with the video has this at the end:

For requests/additional information on the DVD or it's content, please contact the following respective RIAA representive:

Northeast Region
John Curry
212-533-5869

Central Region
Deborah Robinson
610-521-8566

Western Region
Marcus Cohen
714-236-0830

Southern Region
Matthew Kilgo
678-402-2000

Has anyone else thought about calling these numbers? Maybe give them a review of the video, debate copyright policy and enforcement, call them greedy assholes, etc?

Oh man you Americans...

[slashdotinmyface]

Haha you Americans are so fucked (up) :-D

Re:lol

[justinlee37]

I think it can at least lead to the first one on your list.