Record Industry Sues 531 More File-Sharers

[LiviaOlivia]

February 17, 2004
By REUTERS
Filed at 2:24 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. music industry on Tuesday sued 531 more people for online copyright infringement using a method known as the ``John Doe'' litigation process because their names are not yet known. The Recording Industry Association of America, which cites digital piracy as a big factor behind a three-year slump in CD sales, said it filed five separate lawsuits against 531 users of undisclosed Internet Service Providers. The trade group filed four similar suits against 532 illegal file-shares in January.

The latest round of legal actions was filed in federal courts in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando and Trenton, New Jersey.

The RIAA is using the ``John Doe'' method, identifying song swappers by numerical Web addresses, because it has been unable to sue suspected individual song swappers by name since mid-December, when a federal appeals court sided with Verizon Communications (VZ.N) and ruled that ISPs did not have to respond to subpoenas filed as a prelude to lawsuits requesting the names of users.

Like the last round, the RIAA plans to discover swappers' names and locations through court-issued subpoenas. The RIAA on Tuesday said it has begun the process of issuing subpoenas to learn the identities of 333 file-sharers targeted in the first round of John Doe suits filed in January, with the remaining batch pending before the judge.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-media-lawsuits.html

[KissMyAsscroft]

1. These cases are going to crumble...

Identifying people through their IP addresses will not hold up in court.

How much you want to bet all of these cases are thrown out?

[bluestateguy]

2. Why are these people allowed to clog up the courts with this crap?

These are serious times for this country. We do not have the time for these court-clogging nuisance suits. Where are the tort-reform advocates screaming bloody murder? Or should tort reform only apply to people wanting to sure HMO's who deny health care to sick people?

[ixion]

4. they think are 'above the law'

:eyes:

[reprobate]

7. They ARE above the law.

Hell, they own the judges that decide the law. You cant have much more of an edge than that.

[GainesT1958]

3. The day they stop charging us $20 for an eight-song CD...

Is the day they'll get their wish for a decline in on-line "song-file swapping"! :mad:

Why did they think Napster became so successful in the first place? If they didn't keep ripping us off for a product that's not worth it--or if Napster charged $10 a pop to download songs--Napster never would have caught on; that's for sure.

It never ceases to amaze me how many mega-corporations love to talk up the "Free-Enterprise System", then busy themselves in every way they can find to SUBVERT it. If they're NOT for "marketplace capitalism", why don't they just come out and TELL us that--and then we'll go our happy way toward the nearest "black markets" we can find, to be TRUE capitalists! :D

Monopolies SUCK...wherever they are! :grr:

B-)

[onehandle]

5. iTunes...

Most albums are "$10 a pop" there.

[NYC]

6. This same information was reported January 21st at CNN Money.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/21/technology/riaa_suits/index.htm?cnn=yes

Is this a new set of defendants? 531? 532?

[LiviaOlivia]

9. This is a new group

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-media-lawsuits.html

<snip>
The trade group filed four similar suits against 532 illegal file-shares in January.

<snip>

Current total=1063
January 2004=532
February 2004=531

[NYC]

12. Thanks.

:hi:

[eeyore]

8. Support Independent Music

The best way to battle the greed of the music industry is by spending money with their competitors.

As a musician who is not signed to a major label, I can tell you that the battle that is going on between the music industry and consumers is poison for music, and is either going to kill popular music or change the face of it completely.

Please, in stead of (or in addition to) sharing/stealing music, go to http://www.cdbaby.com and support one of the hundreds of great acts that are being ignored by the mainstream labels. There are so many musicians out there that would appreciate your support, and you would be voting against the corporate consolidation of music with your dollars.

People are getting too used to the idea that music free, and I'm here to tell you that it costs a helluva lot to make it. Most musicians these days go into massive debt just for the opportunity to do what they love. One way or another the system is going to change in the near future, hopefully to the advantage of the artists and not the three monopolies that produce the majority of the music that they pay ClearChannel to play.

EDIT TO CLARIFY I DON'T WORK FOR CDBABY AND THIS IS NOT A SALES PITCH, JUST A PLEA FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF CREATIVE ARTISTS EVERYWHERE

[WildClarySage]

17. CD Baby is

fabulous!

[Damn Ann the Man]

10. Some DINOs -- such as Howard Berman -- support the RIAA...

Many aren't convationally called DINOs, but they truly are.

[Coventina]

11. RIAA can kiss my ******

Keep those lawsuits coming!

[DiverDave]

13. FAIR USAGE!!

I buy the "Gimme Back My Bullets" album in 1976, the tape in '78
the tape again in 80, the CD in 1997.
And you are gonna sue me for ROYALTIES??

Sorry, you scumbag RIAA vampires.
I already paid you.
so Pah, Pah, Pah, piss Off.
(with apologies to Porky Pig and Robin Williams)

[eeyore]

14. Very True, DiverDave

I use the same rationale myself. If I've bought it before, it's fair game.

However, there is a new generation of people growing up who believe that music is, should, and always will be free. They have no intention of ever buying a CD in their lifetime, because they believe that all music is created by a three headed corporate monster that deserves to be gutted. I agree that the major labels are greedy whores that don't know when to stop.

But I've had people come up to me after seeing one of my shows, tell me that they got my CD from a friend, and liked it so much that they burned it for a bunch of their friends. It doesn't even occur to them that there is a difference between stealing from a multi-national corporation and stealing from some joker like me just trying to survive. Actually, it doesn't even occur to them that they've stolen something that I've invested in. I'm just supposed to feel grateful that they like it.

The wheels have fallen off of music.

[Occulus]

22. how many of them,

at any time in their lives, were ever unable to record music for themselves because the technology did not exist?

[fsbooks]

15. German Band includes blank CD's in album for making copies

Release Party! Eisbrecher are celebrating the release of their self titled debut at Noise Attack in Kato on 21.2.04.

....

Two blanks against the trend! The band has decided to make a statement for its fans and for music consumers in general and is releasing the album including a bonus DVD with 2 blank CD-Rs which have the same label as the CD itself. Alexx Wesselsky (singer and head of the group): "We are of the opinion that the music buyers are criminalized enough and have been made responsible for the wretched state in the music industry. We are giving them the chance to make 2 legal copies for private use with 'official blanks'. It can't always be that the end users have to take the blame for something that international corporations have arranged with their artist-burning methods."


http://www.eis-brecher.com/en/news

I found the link to this information at the website for the Electronic Frontier Foundation: http://www.eff.org/share/

[eeyore]

16. Cool

That's great that they can afford to do that. They probably won't make back the cost of doing it, but maybe they don't care. If it gets people to take notice of them, I guess it was worth it. I remember the band Chumbawumba were self proclaimed anarchists, and encouraged people to steal their CD from stores. I imagine that really pissed off whatever label they were signed to.

[Damn Ann the Man]

26. Damn it...

I paid for Tubthumpers.

And considering it actually has some of their worst music (imho), that means I'd have to pay more -- rather than less -- if I ever find one of their other albums. :-P

[Yavin4]

18. A Perfect Example of Corporate Myopia

Instead of investing their resources in information technology and using downloading to promote and distribute music, the music industry clings to the old ways of promoting and selling music, kissing up to MTV and corporate radio stations and bribing mega music stores to get their product prominently displayed.

The music industry should have bought off Napster, taken it over, and used it to sell their music. Downloading is an extremely cheap and effective way of selling and promoting music. The reason why CDs are $20 is because they have to pay of the retailer. Downloading eliminates MTV, radio stations, and retail outlets. It brings the customer and the label directly together.

I guess it's hard to say goodbye to the old ways of doing business like giving some coke to the radio GM to get him to play your music.

[fsbooks]

19. Downlaoding music costs more than a new CD

OK, maybe not in $$, but certainly if one counts time and particularly if a person wants an entire CD. One has to search, find the songs (often multiple copies because of quality or availability), organize them, convert them, and burn them. Even after all that, the quality is less than a CD. Downloading music is most useful to try out new music, or to develop an eclectic music collection. Most people I know who download music also buy CDs, though of course given the behaviour of the RIAA, many I know will avoid the major record labels and buy local bands.

However I have no objection to the term Corporate Myopia. The music industry fought against the player piano, tape (reel to reel and casette). On-line is just how people now find out about music.

[Yavin4]

20. When I Said Downloading Is Cheaper...

I mean from a label's perspective. An entire album could be made available for downloading. They could have done it as a subscription or as a commercial site. Selling music online is a hell of a lot cheaper than selling it in a record store.

[fsbooks]

25. sorry, read quickly...

.. and missed that point. It is a cheap way to "sell music", and the current charges for "legal" downloads are a bit outrageous. A CD is a better bargain (particularly when one can wait six months and buy it at half price or less).

I've just been so anxious to make the point that downloading and sharing Music is not based on necessarily on freeloading, but rather is just "the way" to find out about music and check it out. It is a cultural, not economic phenomenon.

[NickB79]

21. Anyone know what filesharing programs are targetted?

I read the first round was targetting Kazaa (which I no longer use). What are they targetting this time? LimeWire, iMesh, WinMX?

[fsbooks]

24. Here are the latest IP's being sued if that is any help

http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/riaasubpoenas/riaa_all_doe_ips.txt

The one's I checked were located generally in the northeastern US, with a lot of cable companies involved. (Being a minor tinhat, it would not surprise me if some of these companies do a bit of investigatory work on the side).

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

23. Does everybody

get a advertising deal?