Pac Bell Sues Over Online Music Tracking
from the good-for-them dept
Pac Bell (who I had thought was SBC now, but apparently, they still occasionally go by Pac Bell) is suing the music industry, questioning the methods they're using in trying to track down file sharers. Specifically, they're saying that the subpoenas were filed incorrectly. They were filed from the wrong jurisdiction and were requesting info on multiple users on a single subpoena - something Pac Bell says is too broad and not allowed under the law. Furthermore, they make the claim that, as a service provider, they really have nothing to do with people sharing music. Interestingly, they ask to make this a jury trial, suggesting they believe that a jury will rule against the music industry for their heavy handedness. This sounds like they're basically making the same complaints that a few universities made in refusing to give up names. However, instead of just withholding names, they're actually suing back.
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Finally
Or, if we want to be really jaded, we could say that we know that SBC, which sells DSL at a pretty hefty mark-up, knows that music downloading has been one of the "killer aps" for people upgrading from 56K modems (along with porn, ofcourse). By making music swapping easier, demand for broadband increases and SBC benefits.
I vote on the first analysis (cost savings) over the second (increasing revenue). Either case, I would try to follow the money.
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No Subject Given
Pretty much the only reason people get broadband is to download large amounts of data on P2P.
Why bother upgrading from 56k if the evil MPAA/RIAA sue you for using your bandwidth?
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Re: No Subject Given
Maybe in your small, insignificant world, but I have broadband and the only reason I have it is to quell the intense pain I get when loading Techdirt via 56k modem takes 20 minutes. Speed for Nerds. That is why Cox gets my $30 a month, so I can get a quick hit of speed after a long day in an office with 100mBps (or more) thoroughput to the internet.
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Munich gets it...
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Re: Munich gets it...
In the original issue of the RIAA practices, perhaps the political backlash has started:
Coleman launches inquiry into RIAA's piracy crackdown
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman on Thursday began an inquiry into the recording industry's copyright lawsuits against online music swappers, saying the tactics could ensnare innocent people.
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Re: Munich gets it...
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Re: Munich gets it...
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