p2pnet - rss feed: ‘You’re jerks!’ - student tells RIAA
p2pnet news | RIAA News:- Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG and their RIAA have extorted students across America out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It isn’t known exactly how many have been blackmailed into ’settling’ with the RIAA in the hope of avoiding a civil lawsuit, but it can’t be more than a couple of thousand and as p2pnet posted recently, “given that the US Census Bureau Back to School: 2006-2007 was projecting 7,600,000 students would be enrolled in American colleges and universities by that fall, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the RIAA student victimisation programme is going nowhere, and fast.”
All it’s really doing is further alienating the very people upon whom future sales depend.
Even the name RIAA is a mockery.
It’s short for Recording Industry Association of America but only one of the Big 4, Warner, is American, and that’s run by a Canadian.
The other three members of the organised corporate copyright music gang are Vivendi Universal (France), Sony BMG (Japan and Germany), EMI (Britain).
‘Already owned the CDs’
“I’ll file for bankruptcy.”
That’s Jesssica, one of 38 University of Maryland students who in 2007 found themselves on the wrong end of RIAA extortion letters.
“During an Office of Information Technology forum on file sharing Wednesday, she spoke out about her experience, calling the fines disproportionate and saying she refuses to pay,” says Chris Yu on Diamondback Online, going on:
“Jessica agreed to share her story with The Diamondback, but asked not to be identified because she feared involving her employer on campus. Jessica is a pseudonym.”
Her troubles began last year when she installed LimeWire on her work computer and downloaded 274 songs illegally,says the story, continuing >>>
It was just for convenience, she said. She already owned the CDs to most of the songs but didn’t want to bring them to work.
In July, she arrived at work on the campus and found her computer was confiscated. A week later, she discovered she was one of the students targeted by the RIAA.
“When I first found out, it really upset me,” she said. “[But] I cannot let it affect my work or school.”
The RIAA discovered Jessica by identifying her IP address as one that downloaded a large number of files. After matching the IP address to her name, OIT sent Jessica a letter from the RIAA warning her that she could be sued.
The university keeps students’ names confidential unless the RIAA issues a subpoena, which if only does if the student refuses to settle.
OIT forwarded her an e-mail from the RIAA that told her she could settle out of court for $3,000. She balked at the cost.
“At that point, I had never heard about this,” she said. “If I rob a store, I wouldn’t be fined this amount of money.”
Anne Bowden, university counsel, told Jessica if the case goes to trial, “she could pay between $750 and $30,000 for each file she downloaded illegally,” says Diamondback Online.
“But the penalty can be up to $150,000 per file if the court finds that the infringement is deliberate. Conversely, if the court sees the defendant as being unaware of the violations, then the penalty may be $200 or less per illegal download.”
“I think it’s ridiculous,” the story has Jessica declaring angrily. “My feelings have not changed on file sharing. To me, people sharing about music is a way to learn about new artists.”
Jessica’s father is a personal injury attorney who, “tried to negotiate for a smaller settlement,” says Yu.
The RIAA offered him a six-month payment plan, “But it was still too expensive, Jessica said.”
Calling the recording industry group “jerks,” she remains staunch in her position, Diamondback Online says, adding:
“The RIAA, she said, will never see a penny of her money. Not only that, she added, they’ve lost a customer.”
Multiply that by several hundred million, and you get a real picture of what the RIAA and the Big 4 have achieved.
Stay tuned.
Jon Newton - p2pnet
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March 5th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
‘You’re jerks!’ - student tells RIAA
She’s right. They are.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
This one is a valid strategy. Instead of feeding the parasites refuse to pay anything and let them sue you.
(Me, at this point I will fight in court (and overwise but I don’t want to tell you about this!) but this is me!
If you lose wait until they have finished wasting hundred of thousand of dollars in legal fees; then go BK Chapter 7.
They are fucked! Hahahahahahaha! As a student if you have no asset this is a no brainer.
Pay a good BK attorney with a Credit card that you can also include in the BK.
NOBODY SETTLE NOBODY SETTLE AND NOBODY SETTLE!
And Maintain and keep expending the boycott! They are dying dying dying but they are not dead yet!
It is like a cancer: you have to kill every single cancer cell to cure the society from these parasites!
BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT! NOT A PENNY TO THESE PIGS!
March 5th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
“Jerks” is a compliment to these inhuman monsters. They have ruined the lives of their customers and artists alike; the very same people who line the pockets of these parasites. They are absolute scum.
I applaud this woman’s efforts to resist their extortion. Do not pay them a cent. They have no authority to bully you or anyone else like this. I only hope it turns out better for you than it did for Jammie Thomas.
March 5th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
It is apparent that the music industry majors will have no future sales at this rate. They are their own worst enemy. Not only are they ensuring no future sales by sueing their potential customers but those potentials will have friends as well who will listen. One of the best ways for advertising music can’t be paid for. That is friend to friend recommendations. If those all recommend indies, the music industry is screwed. Guess what is happening today? The majors are bitching cause their losing money they say. Indies say it is the best years ever with 30% gains. Read it and weep majors!
*second attempt to post because of wordpress “posting to quickly*
March 5th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
The RIAA are hosebags for all the reasons listed on p2pnet and other websites but the REAL story here is that this girl should not have installed p2p software on her work computer and opened up her employer (the university) to the liability.
Everyone on here who uses a work computer plays by the same rules buried in your employee handbook. If you want to risk the wrath of the extortion cartel do it on your own time and your own dime.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Well fuck me, it’s cretins like you lot that are destroying our carefully nurtured Creative Industries. I cannot wait for the legal and technical frameworks to be complete, so that your illegal activity can and will be clamped down upon.
Disgusting.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Thank goodness for sites like this! I have had to explain to my older (and non-techie) brother that EVEN THOUGH he has a MASSIVE tape, vynil, CD and DVD collection (built up over 30 years) he may have to rely on the internet and mp3 devices for his future music consumption.
I kid you not…you cannot move in his living room for CD’s (all originals).
Thank you to everyone who spreads the truth about what the record labels have been doing all these years to the artist and customers.
Most of us are intelligent enough to be able to spot trolls when we see ‘em Fassbender…
March 6th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Well obviously Welshie, despite your brother being unable to move due to the number of CDs, he has now gone over to the Dark Side and must be tought the error of his ways.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Indies say it is the best years ever with 30% gains. Read it and weep majors!
Well since they started suing people I carefully avoided bying anything from the big four and from any RIAA, and the like members.
I conducted a search notably by using the RIAA radar and compiled a list of record labels that have nothing to do with these bag of shit. I am buying CD exclusively from this list. And guest what?
Better product, better sound (DVD audio!) more choice and shiper! My last aquisition: Schuman 4 symphonies Philadelphia symphonic Orchestra live recording from their associations! These guys are great! They deserve every penny I give them and more! This is something else than Britney Slut!
March 6th, 2008 at 11:32 am
“Well fuck me”
You are right troll fuck you and fuck the RIAA.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
You go, “Jessica”! I can’t wait to see RIAA fall flat on their faces, come 5 years, no more CD’s! God bless America, not the “record” companies!
March 11th, 2008 at 11:23 am
The problem, and the reason this young lady was sued is because she probably shared the files she downloaded online (probably without even meaning to). I’m not defending the RIAA, I think they’re a bunch of thugs but everyone should be careful. For programs like LimeWire, the default setting will usually share anything you download. If I were a judge a the RIAA sued someone who could produce the CD’s for the songs she allegedly “stole” I would laugh the plaintiff out of court with a dismissal and his attorney with a fine. However, when one “shares” the files, that’s likely to be a different story in Court.
And to the genius who suggested filing for bankruptcy after an adverse judgement… don’t do the people who read this cite any favors. BK will ruin your credit for years, and the judgment only gets discharged under limited circumstances (talk to an attorney). Your best bet if you recieve one of the letters is to evaluate your options with a competent attorney. Because the RIAA is BANKING on the fact that the $3,000 will always be less than what it costs to try a case (not to mention the risk involved from a potential adverse judgment), it is best to gather as many people who have recieved the letters together and “split” the cost of an attorney (if you want to fight).
The RIAA sucks and their litigation tactics make my skin crawl, but the one thing they cannot be accused of is being stupid. This litigation mill / scam they’ve come up with is frighteningly efficient. Use the thousands of $3,000 settlements to pay for the litigation against those who fight.