57 Million Americans Can't Be Immune

The RIAA has announced that each of the 57 million Americans who share unauthorized music tracks is a possible target for its massive campaign against file sharing. RIAA's lawyers will begin filing hundreds of lawsuits against internet users in August. The association's president couldn't resist adding:

Any individual computer user who continues to steal music will face the very real risk of having to face the music.

Hackneyed wordplay, apparently, remains freely exchangeable. The RIAA, which has a reputation for claiming the life savings of college students, will not rule out minors as targets.

Comments

[Kevin]

The Future And Its Enemies...Chapter One: Hillary Rosen.

[at Seventeen]

Hey, if the artists themselves invite you to download their stuff for free (see)

http://www.janisian.com/

. . . and if RIAA?s automatic software then ERRONEOUSLY proceeds to put two and two together, as they recently did at Penn State (see)

http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-1001095.html

. . . then RIAA lawyers will either have lots more egg on their face or much splainin? and reimbursin' to do.

(This whole thing was tellingly "Hatched" during an election year.)

[Brad S]

The "life savings" of college students? Most college students I know of have a portfolio of assets that consists of a $50 checking account, a computer, and a few textbooks.

[Ummah Goldman]

Bwaahaha!!!!
They'll never catch me! I rip my CD's from the public library!

[Brian]

Threatening to sue minors by the millions...yeah, that'll bring your customers back.

Assholes.

[quaker120]

Let the shock & awe begin...

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Oh, crap, "Shock" and/or "Awe" is a trademark!!

[Warren]

Didn't they learn from that Madonna fiasco?
Don't Fuck With the Hackers - IDIOTS

[Notorious B.L.O.G.]

I guess that's better than Orrin Hatch's plan to blow up the infringer's computers.

[Ron Hardin]

I think it's a good thing. The internet can go back to pornography, which it was designed for.

[the silent moaner]

Yeah, but what's pornography without a little moosik to go with it?

[Xrlq]

Besides, isn't most of the best porno protected by copyright, too? Maybe a slew of lawsuits against suspected net.pervs will be next.

[H.Ford]

Who invented the internet?
Oh, yeah (slaps forehead) ... Al Gore.

Well, Mr.Gore, they're closin' in on your invention, too -- as they do with all inventions, eventually.

[Sam]

I've yet to understand why Reason -- so respectful of property rights in every other arena -- is so snarky when it comes to the members of the RIAA defending their rights. What they are doing is legally and morally justified. They should be applauded, not scorned.

Their efforts are selfishly motivated, certainly, but could benefit copyright holders everywhere -- both the big and little guys.

(Preempting the standard red herrings: Yes, intellectual property is property. It's not a "fiction." That's the whole point of copyright law -- to give the character of property to something intangible, for a certain length of time. And no, copyright-length arguments aren't germane to this particular discussion. And it doesn't matter here if the RIAA is full of Luddites, or have screwed artists at some point, etc. Because none of that is relevant to the essential question of copyright holders' rights. Etc.)

[Captain Sensible]

Actually, what does matter here is that the RIAA are semi-Ludds, they want to use technology to distribute their product, but they want to control what happens to it after it is purchased as well. Once I buy a CD, I should be able to with it as I please as long as I don't profit from it: no re-sale, pay royalties for use in a for profit situation. Why should it be their concern whether I want play it at home, or loud in my car, or for a friend, or hum it for a friend, or make a copy for my mom, or let someone I just met on the internet copy it. Didn't I just purchase that particular combination of digital code? If they don't want me sharing it so easily, analog formats are always an option. Put out a cassette, or an 8-track or a Record. That's not what the kids want today? That's too bad, can't have it both ways. The guy who sells me my car can't tell me where I can drive or who I can lend my car to. I knew 5 guys in college who all shared one car (yeah they were hippies, how'd you guess). Never once did I or anyone else think "boy these guys really got over on the car companies, instead of buying 5 they just got 1 and shared it." This would have been ridiculous. Now that the RIAA is doing it, they are invoking the wrath that idiots deserve.

Every song I have ever downloaded has been something I wouldn't or couldn't purchase (no longer made). They haven't lost a single sale due to me downloading music. They have lost sales by acting like idiots, I won't buy their shit out of principle now. Let them start with the lawsuits. I can't wait until they go after some 8yo girl who's dad is a prosecutor. Plus, like Warren said, the hackers will get theirs. There will be collateral damage, those college kids, little Suzy and her Britney collection, but there's enough kids out there with the deviousness, extra time, computer skills, and very little to lose. The RIAA won't stop downloading with lawsuits (though they may reduce it for a while), they won't recoup their supposed losses by taking a few thousand off some kids, and with the PR that they will soon get, their stock won't be going anywhere but down.

[Spinoza]

Hey, Hey, HEY! Slow down, Sam! Do you also equate the New York Times or The Wall Street Journal with its READERS?

Reason is simply a conduit, a vehicle for (hopefully) rational thought. But anyone can come here and spout whatever opinions they might have. That doesn?t mean it should be attributed to the magazine. Half of the time the editors, contributors, and publishers don?t even KNOW what is being said in these posts. They?re too busy elsewhere.

If you want to learn about Reason?s philosophy, then read Reason. If you want to read (independent) opinion pieces, then come here. To equate the two is rather disingenuous, don?t you think?

Let?s not run with such a spurious equation, OK?

[Kevin Carson]

Quaker,

Let's Roll! Oops--is Lisa Beamer going to sue me now?

Sam,

I'm afraid you didn't poison the well good enough for all the red herrings. The fact that a law is needed to give "the character of property" to something intangible suggests that something intangible is only property by analogy. And the analogy is misapplied. Property, by definition, is a tangible asset in limited supply that can by physically occupied and defended against invasion. So-called intellectual property laws, on the other hand, require the State to invade OTHER PEOPLE's property to stop THEM from doing whatever they want with THEIR OWN possessions (i.e., putting certain words on on your own paper with your own typewriter, and selling them from your own property). Just because the State decides to assign the legal character of property to something that isn't property doesn't obligate us to obey it.

I think the first time somebody's computer (i.e., REAL property, not fake) is wrecked a la Snorin' Orrin's plan, the hackers are going to be working overtime to melt down every hard drive in the recording industry. Heaven forbid I should *encourage* such a thing (are you boys in Ft. Meade listening?), but I sure won't cry on my pillow over it.

[Anonymous]

Backlashes happen

[Frenk]

Thanks to Kevin for bringing some sense into the discussion. (Sam is a ninny.) One point I'd like to add, alluded to by Captain Sensible: there exists the notion of fair use. This means that a person is permmitted to copy copyrighted materials for personal use. So, when I go the library and copy an article so I can write on it and stick it in my file, it is protected.

When NO PROFIT is being made, there is no reasonable difference between photocopying an article and copying a digital file, or permitting others to copy files from me.

[Neb Okla]

My last CD purchase (ever) was on 3/28/2002.

I'm done funding the RIAA's lawyers. If the rest of you did the same, it would send a stronger message to them than your whining here.

Copyright was intended to protect the little guy and it has been bent and twisted so that the little guy can't afford to benefit from it - instead, huge corporations use it to hoard intellectual property that *was* supposed to enter the public domain at some point. Look at Disney for example.

Note: I still listen to music, but it is now from the library. And there are other (more effective) ways to fund the artists you enjoy than services like iTunes (where around 17% of your payment actually goes to the musicians).

[Danielle]

Like the man said, backfires shall occur.

[bardp]

thanks.

[Al Bore]

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.

[mouchon]

Hey y'all,

are you not making jup a bit too much out of an annoucement ? It is obvious the RIAA is trying to SCARE the 8 yo who are easily impressed.

Of course, for the threat to have any weight you need action, so it's probable a few kids will be prosecuted.
Then I forsee they will back down faster than hell, when the "backfire" hit the fan (how about riaa.com transformed in a big mp3 download server).

I've also read a lot of (big) artists say that they don't mind being copied, like Robbie Williams and Radiohead, who said that when some tracks appeared on the net 2 months before the CD was out, they were POed because the tracks were unfinished, not because of the copying itself. And NOFX said at their concert "You know we have a new CD out. Like all of others, if no one buys it, who gives a f***?"
People like Britney or Metallica are just very greedy, are not happy with being already immensely rich, and don't want "money for the artists" but "money for themselves". F*** them. The RIAA is plain greedy and have been trying hard to kick all the art out to replace it with business.

AND, speaking of small artists not making it, I've seen (as a student) a few examples of new groups getting very popular thru mp3, although not one person on the campus had the CD. Of course the artist didn't get money, but it got known, and when the second CD comes out then the people will buy it.

Speaking of which, I still buy CDs, of the stuff I can't find to download, therefore I only spend money on "small artists".

[Matt Squelch]

Unless you're a total dick or a real dumbass it's not going to be used against you anyway, so chill.

[Sean]

I think it was the White Stripes who put out only vinyl advance copies of their latest album, so that free copies would be less likely to pop up on the net before the thing was in stores. Other bands could capitalize with a little creativity. If Metallica and others were to release vinyl "B-sides" at the same time as their latest albums and charge $25 a pop, they'd sell tons of them. Plus they could invest in companies that make turntables, and make even more $ as a new generation explores multiple mediums.

A little ingenuity is all it takes. Clear Channel, burning CD copies of concerts and selling them to fans on their way out, right next to the t-shirts, effin' brilliant. (yes, this is an oppurtunity for you to bash Clear Channel if you can't resist, but at least have the decency to admit this was a smart move. Sure as hell beats RIAA's bitchin n moanin).

[Anonymous]

- Is there such a thing as a half a dick?
- Is there such a thing as a fake dumbass?
- How do you use a dick and a dumbass against yourself in the same instant, Mr.Squelched?

(Weird)

[Ron C]

I'm not stealing it. I'm simply borrowing it until THEY ACTUALLY GIVE ME A WAY TO PAY FOR IT ONLINE!!!

[bardp]

H.Ford,

Could you show me where Al Gore said he invented the internet? I can't find it anywhere.

[Sean]

bardp,

Gore didn't say he invented it, just that he took the initiative in creating it. I believe it was in a CNN interview, sometime during the lead-up to the 2000 election.

[Neb Okla]

Sean, check out this. MS has the vinyl records and casset tapes covered with "Microsoft Plus! Analog Recorder"

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/dme/Music.asp#analog

Here's a quote from the link:
"Bring your aging vinyl records and cassette tapes into the digital age. With Plus! Analog Recorder, you can transform all your old tracks into clean, vibrant digital music files. Use special cleanup filters to reduce the hissing and popping sounds caused by old media and recording devices.

Customize your tracks by combining, splitting, deleting, and naming them. Then choose the audio quality, add copy protection, and more."

...of course, visiting the link will let you listen to two audio samples of what it is capable of.

Pretty cool! I love Microsoft (and you can even add copy protection, if you drank the RIAA Kool-aid).

[S.Jobs]

I don't like Microsoft. And aparently the White House doesn't either.

Yesterday, Bill Gates learned the hard way that the Secret Service is serious when it comes to checking ID's at the White House. The Microsoft billionaire pulled up at the White House for a meeting with Homeland Security's Tom Ridge. But when they asked him to show some ID, Gates said he had left it in his car ...

Details:
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash.htm

[Lincoln Ellis]

Come on Cap'n, the car analogy is horrible. Obviously your hippie brethren cannot all use the car to go to 5 different places at the exact same time. Nor can they duplicate the car with a press of a button and then give it away for a Maserati. If physical property had anything to do with "intellectual" property then everyone would have a Ferrari and a Hummer to cruise around in if they so desired. Basically we'd all have our own holodeck. The RIAA doesn't care if you lend your copy of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" to your friend or even if you both listen to it at the same time and you know it.

Yeah right now CD sales are actually going up due to people being able to easily sample new artists on the internet but how long is it going to last? People are buying the cds to play in their cars or in the home systems because it's convenient. That'll stop once our cars and home theaters are integrated with our pcs as they should be. Artists are eventually going to make their money off of live performances and initial rights of distribution. And don't get me wrong, I can't wait for the integrated world. I've got no love for the RIAA. But don't act like their world isn't going to come to crashing down around them cause it is.

[Raymund]

Kevin,

"Just because the State decides to assign the legal character of property to something that isn't property doesn't obligate us to obey it."

Sounds like real estate--can I set up a hobo jungle on your front yard?

[cd]

bardp:

Claim: Vice-President Al Gore claimed that he "invented" the Internet.

http://www.snopes2.com/quotes/internet.htm

[Kevin Carson]

Lincoln Ellis:

"Obviously your hippie brethren cannot all use the car to go to 5 different places at the exact same time."

Which is exactly why the car is property, and "intellectual property" isn't.

Raymund:

"Sounds like real estate--can I set up a hobo jungle on your front yard?"

No, because I'm actually occupying and using my front yard, and prepared to defend it. I'm not just fencing off a vacant lot and keeping other people from homesteading it.

Frank:

I don't recall ever being accused of bringing sense into a discussion before.

Raymund:

[Sandy]

I think it's excellent. It's what I've been hoping will happen all along--that they would be forced into realizing that their customers are their criminals.

Not the guy who writes the search engine, not the guy who writes the filesharing program, for Christ's sake surely not mp3.com, but their target audience are the ones who are breaking the law and should be prosecuted.

Now, that being said, there's a little trap for them. The people who are breaking the law are also some of their biggest customers. So now they have cut off any legal way to try out new mp3s before buying, many artists oppose only being paid for the works people want, and force people to acquire ripping technology to listen to MP3s of CDs they own. That leaves them with their customers, a lawsuit, and...oops, the press.

Yep, they're about to piss off their base and cause boycotts to extend beyond the few of us who have been protesting their egregious behavior in the past. They tried to avoid this because they knew that they really just wanted free government money instead of reparations for harms that didn't exist (they have never proved that they have lost money from online filesharing, just asserted it). They know deep down that filesharing is supporting or increasing sales, but they've backed themselves into a corner and now they have to come out swinging against the same people who give them their ill-gotten filthy lucre.

Oh, happy day, I so want them to go get real jobs sweeping floors when this blows up in their faces. I have some extra dirt I'm keeping to put down right behind their brooms.

[Daniel Leathers]

Funny thing is that I go to Penn Stae - and the whole mess has hit PSU the hardest. Mainly because the president of the University is a Patsy to one of the trustees of the University- who JUST HAPPENS to be on teh Board of the RIAA. Hmmm .... Anywqays - I have LOTS of stories to tell aboutr PSU officials harassing students, shutrting down poeple's connection, etc. for 'activities' they found - yet have no proof of - and still somehow say they do not monitor network traffic. Plus, student have no TREALY legal recourse against PSU because you have to go through their 'juditial affairs' which does NOT allow any lawyers to speak on yor behalf. It's the student versus the University - and they can kick you out for jsut about any reason they want. We even have a rule at PSU now that says they can kick you out for dooing somehitng ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD if they find out about it, and iut doesn't concide with what they think a Penn State Student should do. It's all pretty ridiculous - especailly for a State University. (Sorry for all the spelling errors ...)

[big daddy g]

THOSE STUPID FUCKS DON'T LEARN

[Anonymous]

THOSE STUPID FUCKS DON'T LEARN

[Banker Abigail]

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[Sanford Daria]

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[Blandy Charley]

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