ATF boss joins RIAA
Ex-ATF chief Bradley A. Buckles is to run the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) anti-piracy unit, says the record industry-owned trade organ.
Buckles wil leave the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in January, says an Associated Press report here, adding:
"Attorney General John Ashcroft praised Buckles for ‘the seamless transfer’ of ATF from the Treasury Department to the Justice Department, which was part of the law creating the Homeland Security Department."
A CNET News report here says Buckles will oversee the record-label trade group’s relationships with law enforcement agencies, "which often help the organization to target large-scale counterfeiting or commercial CD-burning operations," in addition to helping with operations against Internet piracy.
It’s now routine for the RIAA and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) to run their own ‘investigations’, often using ex-cops and PI agencies.
The results are then handed over to police forces around the world for prosecution, frequently dressed up to appear as if they were initiated by the forces concerned, or at the least carried forward with their enthusiastic cooperation.
