Copyright Law

Good article in "DISC & D.A.T." about RIAA's R.I.P.

By Ty Rogers and Ray Beckerman

Good article in the always informative and well written "DISC & D.A.T." by Steve Meyer, a digital music guru. [CAVEAT: Steve writes his column weekly and is morally opposed to "permalinks", since he feels a week is enough time for his stories to be available. So if you go to the provided link a week from now it will take you to a new and different story]:

THE RIAA WAVES A WHITE FLAG...KINDA' SORT OF
"Mistakes can be made"

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In my last issue for 2008 I wrote, "If there is any sanity left in the executive corridors at record labels, 2009 will finally be the year that someone finally says "Enough is enough." and goes on a campaign to stop the RIAA from wasting millions in lawsuits and in lobbying efforts (translation: lots of expensive dinners in great restaurants and all the rest) and forces the association to do something to justify their existence as CD sales decline further. If you think our federal government wastes money you're right. If you don't think the RIAA wastes money, you're living on another planet."

No sooner had I written that and sent out the newsletter to everyone, when I received a news alert from The Wall Street Journal with the headline 'Music Industry to Abandon Mass Suits.' Maybe many of you read this news elsewhere during the holidays.

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When I first got the news alert I thought this might be the beginning of some sanity on the RIAA's behalf. But if the RIAA thinks for one second that ISPs are going to threaten their customers or hand over any information about the millions who download, they are quite delusional. Any ISPs doing so risk losing subscribers in mass quantities. Yes, there will be efforts to do something, but as Bob Dylan sang a long time ago "all and all will only fall with a crashing but meaningless blow."

Keywords: lawyer digital copyright law online internet law legal download upload peer to peer p2p file sharing filesharing music movies indie independent label freeculture creative commons pop/rock artists riaa independent mp3 cd favorite songs intellectual property portable music player

Full post as published by Recording Industry vs The People on January 09, 2009 (boomark / email).