http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/riaa/ en-us Tue, 8 Dec 2009 13:34:43 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2402769/posts Chet Baker was a leading jazz musician in the 1950s, playing trumpet and providing vocals. Baker died in 1988, yet he is about to add a new claim to fame as the lead plaintiff in possibly the largest copyright infringement case in Canadian history.  His estate, which still owns the copyright in more than 50 of his works, is part of a massive class-action lawsuit that has been underway for the past year. As my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes, the infringer has effectively already admitted owing at least $50 million and the full claim... Michael Geist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2402769/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 13:34:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2341183/posts Country’s National Assembly passes draft law that kills illegal downloaders’ internet accessThe French National Assembly has passed one of the toughest laws against internet piracy that the world has ever seen.Under the new legislation, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, illegal downloaders of games, music and movies will be sent two warnings - first by email and then by recorded delivery. Following these cautions, the offender's details will be passed to a judge – who now has the power to cut off Internet access and issue heavy fines or even prison sentences.The law was narrowly passed by 285 votes to 225.... MCV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2341183/posts#comment Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:10:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2323737/posts Can't stop the (free) music Why last month's $675,000 judgment against a BU student won't stop people from downloading songs illegally By Joseph P. Kahn Globe Staff / August 25, 2009 iTunes wasn’t around yet, and David Tanklefsky was in the eighth grade when Napster, the now defunct music file-sharing website, became the must-go destination for computer-savvy music fans. The Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2323737/posts#comment Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:07:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306219/posts New York, NY (AHN) - A judge has ordered a graduate student to pay a total of $675,000 (404,000 pounds) after he was found guilty of illegally downloading songs from a shared music Web site. Joel Tenenbaum, the 25-year-old Boston University student, has pleaded guilty of the charges of downloading and distributing 30 songs. He will be paying $22,500 per song to four record labels for willfully infringing on the copyright of the songs by bands, including Green Day, Incubus, Nirvana and Aerosmith. The U.S. District Court jury could have ordered him to pay a maximum of $4.5 million in... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306219/posts#comment Sun, 2 Aug 2009 00:01:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305947/posts Jury Awards $675,000 in Music Downloading Case BOSTON – A federal jury on Friday ordered a Boston University graduate student who admitted illegally downloading and sharing music online to pay $675,000 to four record labels. Joel Tenenbaum, of Providence, R.I., admitted in court that he downloaded and distributed 30 songs. The only issue for the jury to decide was how much in damages to award the record labels. Under federal law, the recording companies were entitled to $750 to $30,000 per infringement. But the law allows as much as $150,000 per track if the jury finds the infringements were willful.... Newsmax http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305947/posts#comment Sat, 1 Aug 2009 15:09:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2285643/posts ASCAP Makes Outlandish Copyright Claims on Cell Phone Ringtones EFF Argues Phones Ringing in Public Do Not Violate Copyright Law New York - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged a federal court Wednesday to reject bogus copyright claims in a ringtone royalty battle that could raise costs for consumers, jeopardize consumer rights, and curtail new technological innovation.Millions of Americans have bought musical ringtones, often clips from favorite popular songs, for their mobile phones. Mobile phone carriers pay royalties to song owners for the right to sell these snippets to their customers. But as part of a ploy to squeeze more... EFF.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2285643/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 22:12:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284217/posts According to CNET, the RIAA has emerged victorious in their case against Usenet.com for wholesale copyright infringement. Filed back in 2007, the RIAA took particular issue with the outfit's ads promising "access to millions of MP3 files" for the monthly $19 payment. While the advertising was bad enough, the case was made substantially easier for the RIAA thanks to the fact that Usenet.com was destroying evidence on hard drives, often supplying incorrect information -- and even sent several employees to Europe to prevent them from testifying. In a statement, the RIAA lauds the courts for taking action against Usenet.com's "egregious... DSL Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284217/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 17:08:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276237/posts The recording industry secured a resounding victory last week when a Minneapolis jury awarded the four major labels $1.92 million in damages after unanimously finding that a 32-year-old mother had willfully infringed on their copyrights by downloading and sharing 24 songs on the Kazaa peer-to-peer network. But a question arose after the verdict about whether the sheer size of the damages could lead to a backlash against an industry that is already portrayed in some quarters as overreaching. Sony BMG attorney Wade Leak, who testified at the trial, said he was "shocked" by the damages award. No one expects that... reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276237/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:09:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276045/posts Following the recent jury decision against alleged file sharer Jammie Thomas, in which the woman was fined $80,000 USD for each of the 24 songs she shared via P2P, the popular artist Moby has written a blog entry claiming the RIAA "should be disbanded" for using the wrong techniques against people who are just trying to listen to music. His full post: "The riaa have sued Jammie Thomas-Rasset of minnesota for $2,000,000 for illegally downloading music. argh. what utter nonsense. this is how the record companies want to protect themselves? suing suburban moms for listening to music? charging $80,000 per... afterdawn.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276045/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:29:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2275349/posts In what turned out to be a nightmare for the defendant, a federal jury on Thursday ruled that Jammie Thomas-Rasset willfully violated the copyrights on 24 songs. Record companies were awarded $80,000 per song, for a total of $1.92 million. This is the second time Thomas-Rasset went to trial on the matter. The single mother from Minnesota had planned to appeal the first ruling that came down from a different federal court in October 2007. But the judge in that case decided he had given the jury erroneous instructions and a new trial was ordered. Thomas-Rasset may wish she had... YahooNews/News Network http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2275349/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:20:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275198/posts MINNEAPOLIS — A replay of the nation's only file-sharing case to go to trial has ended with the same result — a Minnesota woman was found to have violated music copyrights and must pay huge damages to the recording industry www.foxnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275198/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:36:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275043/posts A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each -- a total of $1.9 million -- for 24 songs. Jammie Thomas-Rasset's case was the first such copyright infringement case to go to trial in the United States, her attorney said. Attorney Joe Sibley said that his client was shocked at fine, noting that the price tag on the songs she downloaded was 99 cents. She plans to appeal, he said. Cara Duckworth, a spokeswoman for the Recording Industry Association of America, said the RIIA was "pleased that... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275043/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:28:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274932/posts MINNEAPOLIS – A replay of the nation's only file-sharing case to go to trial has ended with the same result — a Minnesota woman was found to have violated music copyrights and must pay huge damages to the recording industry. A federal jury ruled Thursday that Jammie Thomas-Rasset willfully violated the copyrights on 24 songs, and awarded recording companies $1.92 million, or $80,000 per song. Thomas-Rasset's second trial actually turned out worse for her. When a different federal jury heard her case in 2007, it hit Thomas-Rasset with a $222,000 judgment. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274932/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:36:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274872/posts A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each — a total of $1.9 million — for 24 songs. Jammie Thomas-Rasset’s case was the first such copyright infringement case to go to trial in the United States, her attorney said. Attorney Joe Sibley said that his client was shocked at fine, noting that the price tag on the songs she downloaded was 99 cents... CNN.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274872/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:29:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273460/posts THEY could be the lesbian power couple of all time: Randi Weingarten, the new president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers, is dating Hilary Rosen, former head of the Recording Industry Association of America, who appears on CNN and is Washington, DC, editor-at-large for the Huffington Post. NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273460/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:10:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272323/posts The MPAA apparently said that the “enemies of copyright have really done a good job at creating the false premise that the interest of copyright holders and the interest of society as a whole are antagonistic” during the World Copyright Summit. The worry is that their pro-copyright advocacy perspective is fading away in the public conscious. In an interesting report from IP-Watch where there were a few choice words levelled against those that disagreed with the view-points of the copyright industry. Apparently, Fritz Attaway suggested that it's false to assume that the rights of the industry and the interest of... ZeroPaid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272323/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:51:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267784/posts Sweden’s Pirate Party, which wants an internet filesharing free-for-all, is one of the surprise entrants to the European Parliament after winning 7.4 per cent of the vote. The party, which also wants to beef up internet privacy, was founded in January 2006 and quickly attracted members angered by Swedish laws that criminalise filesharing and authorise the monitoring of e-mails. Its membership shot up after a court in Stockholm sentenced four men in April to a year in jail for running one of the world’s biggest filesharing sites, the Pirate Bay. Voters had their revenge last night by electing at least... Times Online (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267784/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 05:09:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2265781/posts After 24 years, polka has had its last dance at the Grammys. The Recording Academy, which bestows the Grammy Awards, announced late on Wednesday that the polka category would be eliminated, saying in a statement that it had been cut “to ensure the awards process remains representative of the current musical landscape.” To many in the polka world, that read as a kind of industry code meaning that their genre — once capable of supporting artists with million-selling hits, but long since relegated to micro-niche status — had slipped off the mainstream radar entirely. “It’s devastating,” said Carl Finch of... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2265781/posts#comment Fri, 5 Jun 2009 20:35:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2264629/posts A bunch of states have been pushing forward with plans to add taxes on digital downloads. The state of Washington apparently passed just such a law, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 26th. Nate sent in a note, pointing out that under a strict reading of the details of the bill you could see how the state could go after unauthorized downloaders as "tax evaders." Now, that may not be the case (and it would be great if we could get someone from the state to clarify), but it seems that what Nate is likely referring to... techdirt http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2264629/posts#comment Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:47:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242767/posts Plenty of folks have noted that the Justice Department has been the landing place for a number of RIAA lawyers. Some have suggested not to get too worked up about this, given that the Obama administration's ethics rules supposedly forbade those lawyers from being involved in issues related to their former work. However, it looks like the limit on these guys is actually quite narrow and for a very short period of time. We'd already noted that the highest ranking former RIAA lawyer, Thomas Perrelli, in his Senate confirmation hearings, said he hoped to use his position to increase intellectual... techdirt http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242767/posts#comment Sat, 2 May 2009 16:54:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236413/posts Pirate Bay lawyer demands retrial, saying judge was biased in file-sharing case STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A defense lawyer in the Pirate Bay file-sharing case said Thursday he will demand a retrial after the judge admitted he was a member of copyright protection organizations. A Stockholm court last week convicted four men behind the notorious Web site of helping others commit copyright violations and gave them one-year prison sentences. They also were ordered to pay damages of 30 million kronor ($3.6 million) to entertainment companies, including Warner Bros., Sony Music Entertainment, EMI and Columbia Pictures. Peter Althin, who represented Pirate Bay... Yahoo Finance http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236413/posts#comment Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:30:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2231411/posts The founders of file-sharing website The Pirate Bay have been sentenced to a year in jail in Sweden for breaking copyright laws by helping millions of users download music, movies and computer games for free. The four were also ordered to pay $3.6 m (£2.4m) in damages to copyright holders, including Warner Brothers, MGM, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox Films, Sony and Universal, according to Swedish media reports. In a Twitter posting before sentencing, Mr Sunde said: "Nothing will happen to TPB [the Pirate Bay], this is just theatre for the media." The Pirate Bay provides a forum for its... telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2231411/posts#comment Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:47:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2230305/posts The Obama Administration this week tapped a fifth RIAA attorney to serve in the Justice Department. Collectively, they've argued for the entertainment industry on a myriad of issues, including the argument that ISPs should be forced to hand over personal information on P2P users without a subpoena. Assuming he adheres to them, Obama's own rules would prohibit these gentlemen from working on issues where they've represented the entertainment industry. Still, the collective thinking that permeates the new Department of RIAA Justice worries those who were hoping for more progressive leadership on issues of copyright. http://www.dslreports.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2230305/posts#comment Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:33:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221962/posts If you were online and couldn't access some websites today, we might know the reason why. The FBI raided a Dallas building that houses servers for several different websites. CBS 11 News has learned that the raid is part of a general criminal investigation. Because of the confiscation of computers at Core IP Networks, a number of legitimate businesses have been affected. From the downtown office building in the 2300 block of Bryan Street, FBI agents seized what one source described as millions of dollars in computer equipment. Matthew Simpson, the owner of Core IP Networks, said in a letter... KTVT CBS 11 Dallas-Fort Worth, Tex. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221962/posts#comment Sat, 4 Apr 2009 00:53:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220867/posts According to some people who are paid lots of money to think about these sorts of things, the legal, ethical and economic questions facing the music business aren’t just about preserving the livelihoods of people who work in that industry. No, the very future of democracy is at stake.... At the heart of the debate is how to license peer-to-peer sharing of music files, widely blamed for the huge drop in sales of recorded music this decade. Sandy Pearlman, a veteran producer and McGill University professor, and entertainment lawyer Dina LaPolt raised the specter of a “darknet,” in which information... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220867/posts#comment Thu, 2 Apr 2009 18:20:43 GMT