AOL's Jekyll And Hyde Act

from the which-makes-more-sense dept

I've argued here over and over again that AOL Time Warner has acted ridiculously when it comes to file sharing. They're fighting against themselves. Now, Salon has an article looking at one specific instance where this is very clear. AOL refuses to take a side in the ongoing battle between Verizon and the RIAA. They can make an argument for either side. Supporting Verizon would be good for AOL - the world's largest ISP. Supporting the RIAA would be good for Warner Music, the world's largest music label. Or, at least, that's what the article states. I still think that the music labels are much better off actively encouraging file sharing. I think this is especially true in AOL-Time Warner's case, where doing so directly helps another area of their business while opening up new business opportunities for the whole company. In the meantime, though, the two sides fight against each other, making sure that both will suffer. The article also gives a good explanation of the specific issues at stake in this case, and the different interpretations of the law by Verizon and the RIAA.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    rax, 10 Feb 2003 @ 9:46am

    The Division..

    I wonder how long this problem will persist within AOL Time Warner? But more importantly I wonder what kind of detrimental effects it will have on the already strained relations between the two factions.
    If the old adage "A house divided can not stand" holds true, these inner disputes (over file sharing or otherwise) will only weaken the media giant. While digital piracy isn't the greatest threat to AOL Time Warner's survival, it may become the single, greatest example of the disparate nature of its two parts.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.