RIAA Caught Lying About Stopping Lawsuits

from the shocking dept

Mon, Dec 22nd 2008 7:26am — Mike Masnick

The RIAA and the record labels who make up its main membership keep asking folks like us to "trust them" when they come up with new plans to force people to hand over money. They say that we shouldn't criticize them until the plan is set, but they haven't yet shown the slightest reason to grant them an ounce of trust. Just last week, we suggested that they stop suing people, if they were so intent on turning over a new leaf. And, while they did finally announce plans to abandon mass lawsuits, the fine print is anything but encouraging (and, it's increasingly clear that it was done more to save money than out of any more reasoned strategy).

However, there was a bit of surprising news that came out of the press barrage after the announcement about giving up on the mass lawsuits: the RIAA claimed that it had stopped filing lawsuits months earlier. That certainly didn't fit with the story we had just seen earlier in the week of new lawsuits, and now Ray Beckerman has put together a list of recently filed lawsuits by the RIAA and its major record label members in the last few weeks.

In other words, the RIAA has been caught lying yet again. Shocking. And, yet, they expect us to "trust them" to come up with a better solution -- one negotiated in backrooms behind closed doors without major stakeholders getting to take part? Forgive us for being skeptical that any such deal will be reasonable. What's really disappointing, though, is to see some major tech publications get taken in by this, insisting that somehow the RIAA really has turned over a new leaf. You would think that reporters covering this space wouldn't be so gullible.

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Filed Under: copyright, lawsuits, strategy
Companies: riaa

22 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2008 @ 7:50am

I think "lying" is inaccurate. If I recall correctly, the "plan" is a possible approach that WMG is trying to evaluate in a trial to see if it is even feasible. Until an agreement to run such a trial is crafted and executed, and until the trial is actually conducted and evaluated by the trial participants, it seems to me that WMG would continue its current efforts pending the trial's outcome.
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- Mike (profile), 22 Dec 2008 @ 10:22am
  
  Re:
  I think "lying" is inaccurate.
  
  No, it's perfectly accurate.
  
  If I recall correctly, the "plan" is a possible approach that WMG is trying to evaluate in a trial to see if it is even feasible.
  
  That's not what this post is talking about (at all). The RIAA clearly claimed that it had not filed any new lawsuits since August. That's simply untrue.
  
  I'm pretty sure my post was clear on this.
  
  Until an agreement to run such a trial is crafted and executed, and until the trial is actually conducted and evaluated by the trial participants, it seems to me that WMG would continue its current efforts pending the trial's outcome.
  
  Again, the lie was the RIAA saying it had stopped filing lawsuits months ago. To find out that's not true seems like an overt lie.
  
  I'm confused as to why you seem to think it's about WM's plan...
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thomas, 22 Dec 2008 @ 7:54am

so what else is new?
Anyone who believes anything the **AA has to say is gullible enough to buy a bridge.
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- :Lobo Santo, 22 Dec 2008 @ 8:10am
  
  Re: so what else is new?
  I just so happen to have a bridge for sale!
  
  Mi familia inherited it from some distant relatives... and it eventually became all mine. I cannot afford the taxes on it, so I'm willing to part with my bridge for a VERY reasonable price.
  
  Let me know if you're interested!
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2008 @ 8:01am

The RIAA is DEAD, They just haven't accepted it yet.

LET THEM DIE in A FIRE!

Not 1 Cent, Fuck them!
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Overcast, 22 Dec 2008 @ 8:27am

It's just the new business model for the RIAA: Lawsuits.
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- chris (profile), 22 Dec 2008 @ 9:01am
  
  Re:
  It's just the new business model for the RIAA: Extortion.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2008 @ 8:34am

confused
Isnt lawsuits what the RIAA does? It would be like the Bush Administration promising to stop the growth of government . . . it just doesnt make any sense?
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Xiera, 22 Dec 2008 @ 8:37am

Direct link to their notice to ISPs:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10127050-93.html

What one ISP had to say about it:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10127841-93.html
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Mark Rosedale (profile), 22 Dec 2008 @ 8:53am

Ars let me down again
Ars is continually letting me down. They seem to go out of their way to give the RIAA the benefit of the doubt. To me this whole campaign is about bypassing the law and saving money on lawsuits. I don't want to be part of that system, and I would prefer that the RIAA waste money on lawsuits. At least my rights will be protected this way.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2008 @ 8:56am

Opps
I find it humorous that the RIAA PR machine thought no one would check the facts.
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Glurbie, 22 Dec 2008 @ 9:00am

Testing the waters
Maybe the RIAA realizes their lawsuit with Charles Nesson could dramatically cut into their revenues if the "threaten everyone with a lawsuits" tactic is found unconsitutional. They might be test-marketing this strategy as a replacement. Just a guess though--I am devoid of insider knowledge.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2008 @ 9:06am

RIAA = Real Idiot Assholes of America
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ahhh, 22 Dec 2008 @ 9:07am

Re: confused
troll elsewhere with your political propaganda...

on the other hand, never pay a cent for an RIAA artists music. Support your local music scene!
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- Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2008 @ 10:25am
  
  Re: Re: confused
  ahhh,
  Is that what you do on this site? If someone has a differing opinion than your own you call them a name and tell them to leave. Classy.
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Erv Server, 22 Dec 2008 @ 9:19am

RIAA
there will be plenty more lawsuits coming but it will be ISPs suing the RIAA. This will get juicy
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CMeeks, 22 Dec 2008 @ 10:11am

And this is somehow news?
There is a place even below most widow ripping off investment schemes, con artist who pray on 95 year old grannies, and the insurance fraud lawyers. This is the RIAA and their lawyers where running a close second in sleaze to pedophiles is the one thing on RIAA Lawyers job review with the "Needs improvement" box checked. The real shock that anyone would dare treat the fact that one of these proto-slimes lied as a news story, shows that someone has lost their hold on reality.
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Bill McMinn, 22 Dec 2008 @ 10:29am

RIAA makes Mafia Look Good
I knew that the RIAA wouldn't stop suing seven year olds and their grandmothers. Now they are using ISP's as their own private goons as well. Maybe the should have tried to sue the Adware and Spyware providers that support the p2p client software. Of course suing Adware and Spyware out of existence would have actually made the RIAA look good and they couldn't have had that!
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You never know, 22 Dec 2008 @ 11:12am

And this would be a suprise to who? Thay will not stop untel we are all out of money, beatting on hollow logs, chanting incohearently and calling that music...
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- Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2008 @ 1:37pm
  
  Re:
  isn't that basically what the screaming heavy metal does?
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  - slander q. libel, 22 Dec 2008 @ 2:08pm
    
    Re: Re:
    isn't that basically what the rap does?
    
    There -- fixed that for you.
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gene, 23 Dec 2008 @ 7:42am

lying before the court too
The RIAA and Directv, each time they sue an innocent person had to lie to the court. Where the person was innocent, it can be nothing but a lie. While the Justice system knows they are lying in in many cases, The justice system does nothing to protect the public. Next time you are a juror or a witness, do what Justice has done and ignore Justice. Jury Nullification is a good start. Let's see what Justice thinks when they are ignored just like innocent victims are.
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