The MIPI’s new boss
p2p news / p2pnet: Music Industry Piracy Investigations, the so-called anti-piracy arm of the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA), has a new boss – notably, its third in recent times.
Sabiene Heindl, once a senior associate at Allens Arthur Robinson, has taken up the job left vacant by Michael Kerin, who left after only five months as MIPI’s general manger, says ZDNet Australia. Kerin is still in the anti-piracy game, though, and is currently working with the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), but did suggest before leaving MIPI that it should expand it’s staff to include a lawyer and an "investigations manager" as well as forensic staff.
The MIPI isn’t actually the Australian Recording Industry Association’s, though. Its general manger reports to the MIPI board, which just happens to include many of the same individuals who sit on the ARIA board.
It does, however, have a relationship with the Big Four record labels’ IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry), which is in turn linked to the ARIA.
Heindl will have some big shoes to fill in her new position. The MIPI led the charge against Sharman Networks with a February 2004 civil raid on Sharman, owners of Kazaa.
It was the biggest civil raid in Australian history comprising three states and six simultaneous locations, including the homes of Kazaa bosses Nikki Hemming and associate Kevin Bermeister, says APC.
Former MIPI hardman Michael Speck was one of the driving forces behind ARIA’s lawsuit against Sharman.But he left the MIPI shortly after being shut out of a court case that had apparently set up for the Australian Federal Police, with the judge saying it was "totally inappropriate for an organisation such as MIPI to have a direct role" in sentencing procedure.
The ad for the MIPI position stated that "knowledge of copyright and Internet-related laws" would be a bonus and an MIPI spokeman told ZDNet that Heindel has a "strong background in copyright and intellectual property litigation". Hopefully Heindel won’t be needing her litigation skills much: ARIA has taken a more cautious approach to copyright infringement, aiming more at wiping out commercial CD counterfeiting operations rather than suing individual file sharers like their American counterpart the RIAA.
But then again, as PC World once said, the, "ARIA does not represent the interests of the artists they claim to, but rather a festering clique of fat, moribund labels so averse to new media the most innovative thing they can come up with is which brand of cola their army of cosmetically enhanced R&B clones sucks on."
The MIPI is expected to officially announce Heindl’s arrival next week.
Also See:
ZDNet Australia – Kazaa fighters appoint new boss, May 26 2006
APC – MIPI Meltdown
shut out – Aussie RIAA tries to horn in on court case, October 1 2003
PC World – MIPI mischief comes a cropper in court, October 7 2003
May 30th, 2006 at 12:48 am
Anyone’s gotta be better that Speck who beat up anyone going near new technology. He was called the industries rottweiller for a reason.
May 30th, 2006 at 12:58 am
“The MIPI isn’t actually the Australian Recording Industry Association’s, though… MIPI … should expand it’s staff to include a lawyer and an ‘investigations manager’ as well as forensic staff.”
MIPI isnt ARIA’s association??? who do you think pays for them and who do you think is going to pay for the new staff??? more likely the new staff would be for p2p lawsuits – MIPI until now has shown at least some sense in not going after individual users and should get a clue and realise they are fighting a pointless and unwinnable battle against Sharman.
May 30th, 2006 at 5:20 am
MIPI does not belong to ARIA: its independent. But…
The MIPI board is made up of people who sit on ARIA’s board. I can’t really find out who funds them, but it would be safe to assume that ARIA gives them “support” of sume kind.
MIPI has only really taken on Kazaa and CD bootleggers. Not bad really…
May 31st, 2006 at 4:26 am
The article is wrong. MIPI is owned by ARIA.