RIAA Vs. Web 2.0? Social Media and Litigation

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "After learning that Professor Nesson's CyberLaw class at Harvard Law School has set up a Facebook page to assist in its defense of Joel Tenenbaum in an RIAA case, SONY BMG Music v. Tenenbaum, Wendy Davis of the Online Daily Examiner opines that 'Web 2.0,' and more particularly, the 'social media,' are playing an increasingly important role in RIAA litigation. We at Slashdot have already learned that principle, and have made good use of it, as have our friends at Groklaw."

Comments

I've seen this work quite well

[beadfulthings]

...in another case that interests me a great deal, that of a blogger in the UK who received a rather heavy-handed "cease and desist" notice last July from a pair of American religious fanatics. For a few short days, this pair (who happen to be lawyers) attempted to "cease and desist" anyone who mentioned the initial notice or reposted the material they objected to. It soon became a game of legal whack-a-mole, and they apparently realized that desistance was futile. This hasn't stopped them from undertaking all kinds of other actions of questionable legality in the UK and in the US as well.

A Facebook group was formed, and interested people are able to keep in touch with what is going on. It enables group members to post to their own blogs, to sign petitions or send correspondence, and generally to assist in whatever ways they can to provide support to and to secure justice for the victims.

I had absolutely no need for, or interest in, Facebook until all this came about. Now I realize just how useful it can be for circumstances such as these.

NYCL, I hope you will continue to vex the RIAA. They deserve it.

Re:Oh no!

[NewYorkCountryLawyer]

That's a pretty vague distinction Ray. Personally I hate the Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 nonsense, but I guess if it makes sense to people that is the way things will travel. Before "the web" there were places called BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems). The BBSs were actually quite like "web 2.0" and communities were born around them. Also, back in the dark ages of Web 1.0 there were heaps of communities and community sites. Linux, for a start, evolved its community during the Web 1.0 era. I'm not deliberately trying to be critical Ray (your comments are way up in my respect-o-meter and I always value what you say). I just find this web 1.0 and web 2.0 thing difficult to grasp.

Yeah, well look... it's no big thing. I just think that some people use the phrase to differentiate the first time around, where business people were kind of trying to apply a classic top-down kind of approach, to the second time around, where the business people realized there was more of a future in just providing a playing field, and getting out of the way.