Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch is, “making misleading claims about pornography on p2p networks, at the same time protecting the special interests of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America),” accuses Webcaster Alliance president Ann Gabriel.

She was referring to Janet Jackson’s X-Rated Super Bowl performance when Jackson revealed her right breast during a half-time MTV show.

Jackson is a Virgin Records artist, Virgin is in turn an RIAA member and, “Moments after the disgusting halftime display, Virgin Records posted a press release on the wires promoting Ms Jackson’s latest single,” states Gabriel, citing media reports.

“The press release along with a promotional digital copy of the song was immediately made available to radio stations, a clear indication of the record label’s participation in orchestrating, promoting and profiting from this salacious event.”

RIAA President Cary Sherman has made “lurid, erroneous and disingenuous claims with regard to pornography and P2P networks, warning of the dangers these networks could pose to children on the Internet,” says Gabriel.

And Hatch recently introduced the EnFORCE (the Enhancing Federal Obscenity Reporting and Copyright Enforcement Act of 2003) which requires the Department of Justice to, “report to Congress detailed information about the scope of its efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors or intellectual property”.

However, “thanks to RIAA member Virgin Records, the millions of people world wide who were watching the Super Bowl can attest to the fact that ‘inadvertent exposure to pornography’ can also exist during a live televised, prime time national event,” says Webcaster Alliance in a statement.

But, contends the online radio group, “the EnFORCE Act has little, if anything, to do with protecting children or enhancing obscenity reporting.

“Instead, it’s simply another deal designed by Orrin Hatch, specifically to expand exemptions intended to protect the RIAA from legitimate legal claims of monopolistic, anticompetitive behavior.

“In light of the disgusting display during the Halftime show of the Super Bowl, I think it’s outrageous for Senator Hatch to maintain his support of the RIAA, while continuing to espouse the evils of p2p networks,” says Gabriel.

Hatch’s, “continued support of the RIAA and its member-labels is a slap in the face to the 90 million people worldwide who witnessed that outrageous spectacle during the Halftime show of the Super Bowl,” she adds.

“It’s obvious the recording industry will stop at nothing, including a vulgar, world-wide display of public indecency, to promote and sell its products.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2004 at 2:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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