RIAA's Internet2 Lectures Fall On Deaf Ears
from the glass-houses dept
The RIAA likes to take the moral high ground in its fight against file sharing, and it's no different in the industry's current war on Internet2. They're now suing people who shared files on the network and lecturing universities on the responsible use of Internet2. But does the recording industry have a moral leg to stand on? One professor makes a compelling case for "no," exposing the hypocrisy inherent in the RIAA's "thou shalt not steal" commandment. He points out that labels and broadcasters have historically acted irresponsibly and immorally -- refusing to record some of the greats, suppressing innovation through monopolies, and unjustly withholding royalties. Though these facts are not exactly a defense that would hold up in court, the entertainment companies might take note that their sanctimonious finger-wagging is winning them few friends in the halls of learning.
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