Music Industry suing file sharers

from WinCustomize Forums
WASHINGTON -- The embattled music industry disclosed plans today for an unprecedented escalation in its fight against Internet piracy, threatening to sue hundreds of individual computer users who illegally share music files online.

The Recording Industry Association of America, citing significant sales declines, said it will begin today to search Internet file-sharing networks to identify music fans who offer "substantial" collections of mp3 song files for downloading.

It expects to file at least several hundred lawsuits seeking financial damages within eight to 10 weeks.

Executives for the RIAA, the Washington-based lobbying group that represents major labels, would not say how many songs on a user's computer might qualify for a lawsuit. The new campaign comes just weeks after U.S. appeals court rulings requiring Internet providers to identify subscribers suspected of illegally sharing music and movie files.

The RIAA's president, Carey Sherman, said tens of millions of Internet users of popular file-sharing software after Thursday will expose themselves to "the real risk of having to face the music."

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., who has proposed giving the entertainment industry new powers to disrupt downloads of pirated music and movies, said the RIAA's actions were overdue. "It's about time," Berman said in a statement. "For too long ... file-traffickers have robbed copyright creators with impunity."

The RIAA said its lawyers will file lawsuits initially against people with the largest collections of music files they can find online. U.S. copyright laws allow for damages of $750 to $150,000 for each song offered illegally on a person's computer, but Sherman said the RIAA will be open to settlement proposals from defendants.

"We have no hard and fast rule on how many files you have to be distributing ... to come within our radar screen," Sherman said. "We will go after the worst offenders first."

The RIAA said it expected to file "at least several hundred lawsuits" within eight to 10 weeks but will continue to file lawsuits afterward on a regular basis.






For the whole story:
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertainment/ap20030625_1212.html
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24,919 views 99 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yep, I heard this tonight.. I'm safe thou, I only dl bands that allow it.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
heh it baffles me... where are they gonna put all these new www prisoners?
WindowBlinds - Free yourself of the default settings, customize your desktop.
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
No worries. They'll just open more virtual prisons.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Diggi'n vertual swamps I suppose...

hummm. I could go for a Virtual Cool Hand Luke.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
tech cat, that is the price they pay see? If they illegaly download music/movies, (and for example you have 100 files on you pc, that are downloaded,) and its all music, they let you pack say 10 bucks for evry 'single' so it would be like ehm.... 1000 USD.

Well, that isn't too much right?

I think they are totaly right!
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Some points, that are quite silly though : Sony sells music-cd's with copy protection and burners/cd-drives that can crack their protection ant others. Not to speak of the mp3-players they also sell. In germany a renewing of the 'Private Copy' law is discussed heavily (and will go through), also. So, what's next ? I have a mp3-player in my car and of course I copy songs from my own bought cd's to cd-r's to listen to them while driving. Will I be arrested when the police next stops me and notices my burned cd's ?
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Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The next logical step would be to make mp3 players, ripping software, etc. illegal much the way illegal drug paraphernalia was made illegal (here in the USA). Take away all the tools, players, etc. and no mp3 distribution.

Hmm, wonder if it'll go that far?
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
They will make cd-copy tools illegal that can copy protected cd's / DVD's here in germany...
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
How are they going to positively identify you? Has the Government given them some secret authorization to snoop around in your computer for personally identifiable information? While I agree with copyright laws I also support the American Constitution and Big Brother granting some special right to a private organization to spy is ludicrous and worthy of another American Revolution.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
hashondboat, gimme your IP and I know where you live.

nok nok
If you download something your ip is used for that (atleast visable for the other) and they have you...

If they want to catch people that use 'sharing' programs they probably will share themself, and store evry IP that download from them.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
IP's are dynamic. Hence DHCP. They change. They are leased. Depending on where you are your IP can change evry hour. You can force an IP change. Whoever hosts your DHCP sevice (usually your ISP) can match you with your IP. Do you think they can get court orders to get that info from your ISP? Will your IP address have changed since then? Hummm........
With a packet sniffer they may see your username when you log on to your ISP, unless it is encrypted. Will they hire codebreakers to decrypt your username? All the talk I hear about them finding you and sending Zaps to destroy your PC. I believe most of it is just scare tactics! Ever since the Napster deal they have been fighting this war tooth & nail with any tactic they can think of , invluding scare tactics which are not real. The more it seems they fight the worse it gets.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

hash: A US appeal court just ruled that Internet providers to identify subscribers suspected of illegally sharing music and movie files.

If provided the date/time and the IP, your ISP can quickly give your name, address and phone number to the police.

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
btw, I fixed your mess.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I still wonder how they are going to enforce this with a "family" computer.  13 year old son downloads 1,000 music files on Dad's PC without Dad knowing about it.  How can they hold Dad accountable for something he didn't do?  How do they prove who did it?

I think that: "$750 to $150,000 for each song offered illegally on a person's computer" is completely unreasonable.

Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I dont know how it is in the US, but in Canada, a parent is responsible for his children under 18.  If my son breaks my neighbour's window, I am the one who has to pay for it, whether I knew he was doing it or not.
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
^^^^ EDIT @ KarmaGirl

Yeah, but the father should be responsible and know whats on his computer. It's not invasion of privacy, and until the kid can buy his/her own computer, the parent has the right to keep a lock on things.


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Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
It's a matter of raising your children.  Tell them that sharing MP3's is illegal and that if you chatch him/her he'll be grounded for a month, and that should make things clear.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
After much thought I no longer burn CDs without paying. I have thrown out many CD-Rs that I made without paying through services like Pressplay and I have thrown away radio promos since the college radio station probably was not supose to give them out since they are for promotional use on the radio to get people interested in buying the CDs. The only illegal CD-Rs I still have are the CDs I really like and I will eventually buy the official CDs for them.
I hope the government does not make MP3s and CD Burners illegal. I still use MP3s but now I only use it to listen to music I paid for or I got for free legally. If MP3s are made illegal, it would be sad to see providers of legally free music like MP3.com taken down. When I buy a new CD or purchase a new music files from Pressplay, I like to be able to make MP3 files for convenience. I do not like to have to open and close the CD tray to switch between albums. I like having all my favorites on my hard drive. I no longer use file sharing programs so all the music that is on my hard drive is there only for personal use. I do not offer them for download on peer to peer networks or offer to email or ICQ them to anyone. I use my CD burner to burn music files I have purchased or downloaded legally. I also use my CD burner for data backup. I would not like the governemt to make CD burners illegal forcing me go back to floppy disks or start using zip disks.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
this is something i have thought about for a long time, where do they get the power to use there copyrights against people who are listening to there music, it is there copy rights yes, but, where is it defined that listening to there copy rights are illegal. Is it illegal to listen toa radio station that are playing the exact same songs that you are downloading onto your computer.
While we are at it. Is it illegal to tape a shoe on TV and pass it around to your friends. Copy rights are used to protect companys from other companys using there material for monitary gain, where is it illegal fora person who has no interest in selling there acquired media to listen and/or watch such things.

I can see if people are running larges counterfit cd ioperations SELLING the merchandise, but a people who download music just to be listened to... it has just gone to far
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Apple has a pay per download music service that is successful. In discussing this here and elsewhere, people have said that this same model would not be successful in the PC realm, because people can download from Kazaa and Morpheus and other P2P for free. Why would they switch to a paid service?

Well, this is RIAA's answer. If it becomes too difficult to download illegal copies, then people will be more willing to pay. The initial targets of these suits are people who are offering hundreds of songs. If "free" illegal music is hard to find and you risk being busted, then $1 per song seems reasonable.

Will it work? Maybe not initially and not without resistance. But the major offenders (those offering large numbers of songs) today are college students, using their school's high speed connections. If they face expulsion, they will stop.



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Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
can someone really tell me why it is illegal to listen to copyrighted music, i know its illegal to sell and why but why is it illegal to download free for personal use?
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top

#23 by Sir SuperheroCanadian - 6/26/2003 4:02:29 PM
can someone really tell me why it is illegal to listen to copyrighted music, i know its illegal to sell and why but why is it illegal to download free for personal use?

Because, once you download the song, you own an illegal copy, one you haven't paid for!





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Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
But someone else has, so it has been paid for right?