RIAA To Prosecutors: Use Piracy Charges To Round Up Drug Dealers And Terrorists
from the it's-a-starter-crime dept
Back in the 1920s, the FBI was never able to get Al Capone on racketeering charges, but eventually got a conviction for tax evasion. It appears that the RIAA's message to federal prosecutors is now: think of music piracy as the new tax evasion! In a leaked "training video," put together by the RIAA for the National District Attorneys Association, RIAA representatives talk about how prosecutors can use music piracy charges to go after drug dealers and terrorists, noting that "it might allow you to have probable cause for a drug house." That's said by the RIAA's Deborah Robinson, who can barely stifle a laugh as she starts to say it. She then goes on to talk about how often they're supposedly seeing drug dealers and gun dealers selling counterfeit CDs with the drugs and guns. Oh really? Weren't we just hearing about how the counterfeit CD business was rapidly shrinking due to file sharing? There's also a great leading question from the NDAA person, asking if convicted murderers who were out on parole are "gravitating to this type of piracy." The response from the RIAA's Frank Walters: "More often than not..." It's no secret that the RIAA is eager to get federal prosecutors to take on piracy cases, but this seems a bit extreme.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.
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Filed Under: counterfeiters, drug dealers, riaa, terrorists
Companies: riaa
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Re:
In addition, I love the part about buying CDs 'with' or 'without'. 'With' means you get some crack with your counterfeit CD. Has this ever happened in real life?
mkam
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Special Weapons and Tactics
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fools
idiots - don't they see that this is all making it *worse* for them
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WTF is going on?
Seems to me one more big group is trying to shift the light of their inept war on whatever the market is they are against by bringing in groups that no one wants to side with.
Overall this will fail like the other movements...Since they are also a pack of lies.
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*raises hand*
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Uh oh
Looks like they are already prepped to fit right in and join the MAFIAA.
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farming
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You dont know your customer
http://techdirt.com/article.php?sid=20080219/014250290#c1220
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Re:
the riaa can round them up too. they have no problems doing that too.
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Turbins
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What Next.
It is time for people to make an effort to get rid of those morons.
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RIAA should get RICO
By the way Osoma Binlauden has a real crappy MP3 collection the highlight is the bootleg copy of the March 3rd call to morning prayers at the Hafa Masque
Can someone stop making a bigger joke out of our courts than they really are
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Would i have a chance? get me in!
Penis. there i said it.
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Laughable
with any luck, a major news outlet will pick this up (a la bank julius baer) and the ridicule will shift into high gear.
i prefer "with" btw. michael, can your blogging software here do polls? could be loads of fun!
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Maybe someone was just having a little fun?
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Of course, one must also consider that the US has more people in jail than even China in raw numbers! So, yes - perhaps they will find some that are more than happy to lock up 'pirates'.
haaaaaar
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"Come on man I need some more"
"Ok here you go, and did I mention that I have U2's latest album?"
"Well, hey, stick it in the bag too."
Damn crack dealers will be selling groceries next.
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Just Say No (to piracy)
Maybe we can update the "Just Say No" campaign for the modern age? Don't copy that CD kids, "Just Say No", we could even have ads with a thugish-looking guy passing out a 256MB USB-connecting MP3 player w/a song or two on it to "get 'em hooked". LOL
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Civil Law Prosecuted by the DA
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1) STOP buying from the RIAA and stop pirating their music (because it actually helps them advertise) -- the RIAA will be dry up, blow away, and be forgotten. If you have to have it buy it used off Amazon.com.
2) ONLY support independent musicians like those on sellaband.com or cdbaby.com.
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Re:
We can't download their music because that just give them a scape goat. Stop downloading and stop buying and they will only have one possible reason for the failure: Their tactics are detestable and their business model is outdated and needs to die.
-F**K July, Boycott RIAA/MPAA now.
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The new rolling stop
Nobody comes to a full and complete stop at a stop sign, so when you want to bust someone, but your real reason isn't good enough (e.g. DWB) you stop them for making a rolling stop, then search the vehicle as a moving crime scene.
This is the same principle, but for houses. Let's see, the music coming out of that guy's window does not seem to meet the full recording quality standards that I've come to expect from GenuineRIAA (TM), so I have evidence of a crime in progress, justifying busting down the door, etc.
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Would you like some weed with that Weezer
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Not to really stereotype
I didnt know that RIAA represented the "TREW GANGSTA RAP". Any of my crack dealers tended to "be of color" and mostly listened to underground HipHop
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Damn need the DEA
Leads to crack houses
????????
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Amerikkkans are the real druggies
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Children of Pirates
They get to become the next generation of incarcerated inmates of course. We have a plan and it is called a bed for them in prison when they are ready to join their pirate parents.
This is of course ridiculous. There has never been and will never be a causal link between piracy and other crime. There is probably a correlation between the two, but there is also a correlation between eating ice cream and violent crime so that doesn't mean much.
We already have the statutes in the 70's that effectively turned hearsay statements into factual documents that then could be used to get search warrants. This law, originally intended for the mafia, has made it possible for the war on drugs to be conducted.
The war on drugs of course has only driven up prices and locked up over 2 million Americans when all they need is drug treatment. Nowadays 3 in every 100 children have parents behind bars. This is a staggering social cost that we will be feeling for years to come until major reforms are introduced to reduce this burden.
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Grammys... Not So Much
The day continued until it was 5:00 and I all but forgot about the conversation earlier. On the way home, I stopped by Costco and got a few staples- (Motor Oil, a ratchet set, and other things on the Honeydew list. On the way to the front, I stopped by the televisions and was amazed at this Sony HD Projection, I started daydreaming about it being in the family room, what I would watch, then I wondered how my wife would use it... I then remembered the conversation I had earlier.
Panicked, I started searching for a 'Get out of Jail Free' card. I searched up and down, left and right, then there it was, with a glimmering golden halo around it... ,a href="http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10205448&whse=BD_767&Mo=48&Nr=P_C atalogName:BD_767&Sp=C&topnav=bdoff#">Greek Pepperoncinis. I called my neighbor, a gastroenterologist and asked about the pretty yellow pepper's potency. After a short discussion, I was satisfied with my choice and preceded to the checkout line.
On the way home, I started planning my attack, and realized how much pain I would be in if I had to sit through the awards show, and I decided I needed to get started. There was no way I was going to be reeled into any awards ceremony this month. Before starting the car, I opened the jar and started eating them like they were candy. They really are okay! All throughout Saturday, I did the usual things- working on the car, and the jar. In preparation for the "Big Game" I started moving magazines I hadn't read and stuck them in the bathroom.
Sunday came and let's just I needed to go. It was quite possibly the best $4.97 I've ever spent.
I'm going to plan better for February 24th. There's another awards ceremony, but this time with actors. Even with Jon Stewart, I'm looking for volunteers that will need to be emergently driven to the hospital. (Let me know)
PS. Thanks, all you fine saints for maintaining the Wikipedia page and letting me know what I would have endured.
PPS. If for some reason this story gets forwarded thru the distribution list, I know where it started... Kathy.
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...
and he wouldn't have knocked the WTC over, he'd have bought it.
as for cracking down on drug dealers.. where will all the 'poor artists' get their next fix from?
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Great!
Maxoderm Connection Reviews
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