All-Star Witness List In Lawsuit Over Constitutionality Of RIAA Lawsuits
from the that's-quite-a-witness-list dept
Last month we had mentioned how Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson was taking on the RIAA's strategy of suing music uploaders by claiming that the laws the RIAA was relying on were unconstitutional. That case ("the Tenenbaum case") started moving forward this week, and the Associated Press had a story at the beginning of the week, which about fifty people submitted (with some angrily wondering why we hadn't written about it). We didn't write about it because it was basically the same story we had covered in October.However, there is some interesting news in the case, as Ray Beckerman has posted the proposed witness list put forth by Tenenbaum's legal team and it is quite the star-studded list. It's becoming quite clear (if it wasn't already) that this is a case where a bunch of different folks in the "copyfighting" realm are converging to confront the RIAA's legal strategy. The list includes:
- John Perry Barlow (former songwriter for The Grateful Dead, founder of the EFF, and well known digital thinker)
- Prof. Johan Pouwelse (technical and scientific director of European research project P2P-Next)
- Prof. Lawrence Lessig (needs no introduction, I imagine, for folks around here)
- Matthew Oppenheim (who has a somewhat murky relationship with the RIAA, at times representing the RIAA, and at other times insisting he does not represent the RIAA)
- Prof. Terry Fisher (a director of Harvard's Berkman Center and author of Promises to Keep, an early book looking at how the internet was changing the entertainment industry, and how it's business models need to change)
- Prof. Wendy Seltzer (well known copyfighter, law professor, former staff attorney at the EFF and founder of the Chilling Effects site)
- Prof. John Palfrey (Harvard law professor, co-director of the Berkman Center, author of Born Digital)
- Prof. Jonathan Zittrain (Harvard and Oxford law professor, co-director of the Berkman Center, author of The Future of the Internet)
- Andrew Grant (former antipiracy specialist at DRM company Macrovision)
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Filed Under: andrew grant, charles nesson, john palfrey, john pouwelse, jonathan zittrain, larry lessig, matthew oppenheim, tenenbaum, terry fisher, wendy seltzer
Companies: riaa
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The Test
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Impending doom, meet the RIAA.
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Smell that?
Couple in that NO ONE in the DOJ and none of the Judges seem to truly sympathize much with the RIAA cause of their tactics and man I can't WAIT to read the transcripts!
They're going to get rolled.
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i've been waiting years for this...
i am pretty excited to see this battle.
go team Tenenbaum!!! one for the people!
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Wonder
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Libertarian pipe dreams
Wishful, but fruitless, thinking, Libertarians.
Back to Bus Law 10
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Re: Libertarian pipe dreams
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Re: Re: Libertarian pipe dreams
A Libertarian movement may be just like the doctor ordered.
Until then, it sadly is a pipe dream. (Sigh)
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Re: Libertarian pipe dreams
Stop speculating. It's just wishful, but fruitless, "thinking" on your part.
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Re: Libertarian pipe dreams
Does anyone seriously believe that if by some stroke of luck the defendant prevails that Congress will not immediately step in and close the "loophole"?
And, if anyone believes that the next administration will view with disfavor such remedial action by Congress, then they have obviously not read for comprehension its technology plan.
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The litigants in this case are:
Plaintiffs: SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, WARNER BROS. RECORDS INC., ATLANTIC RECORDING CORPORATION, ARISTA RECORDS LLC and UMG RECORDINGS, INC.
Defendant: JOEL TENENBAUM
ThirdParty Defendant: TOVA TENENBAUM
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Defendant intends to file a Motion for Joinder to add RIAA as a counterclaim defendant on November 14, 2008.
(* The pre-trial memorandum was submitted to the court on November 14, 2008.)
Looks like the RIAA may finally have a true day in court after all
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lawsuit
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