RIAA Apparently Unable To Stop Lawsuits In Motion

from the legal-inertia? dept

Wed, Dec 24th 2008 7:35am — Mike Masnick

Following last week's announcement that the RIAA was going to back off using mass lawsuits, some were pretty confused by the RIAA's subsequent claim that it had actually stopped filing such lawsuits back in August. In fact, it turned out to be an outright lie, as plenty of lawsuits had been filed pretty much right up until the announcement. However, the RIAA is now trying to explain its "no new lawsuits" message by claiming that it actually meant no new lawsuits in the pipeline. The ones filed since August were apparently already "in motion" and apparently in RIAA-land once you kick off the process of filing a bogus lawsuit based on flimsy evidence, the inertia is simply too powerful to pull it back and stop it from running its course. Or did I misunderstand the RIAA's statement on the matter?

The folks at the RIAA and at various major record labels have complained to us that we don't give them a fair shake, but every time we think about giving them the benefit of the doubt, they pull out some totally bogus claim like "no new lawsuits" and, when called it on, follow it up with a whopper about these legal wheels in motion, as if they had no way of stopping the lawsuits from actually moving forward. Do they really think that everyone is stupid?

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Filed Under: copyright, lawsuit, riaa
Companies: riaa

23 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 7:37am

Do they really think that everyone is stupid?

Often it is the stupid people that think others are stupid when it is them,

RIAA = Real Ignorant Arrogant Assholes!

Not 1 cent to them and everyone/anyone that support them!
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Daniel, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:01am

I used to buy music all of the time. I've had shelves of CDs of all types (my tastes in music is *very* wide). But ever since the prices of CDs hit $17 (when the record industry claimed to be recouping costs for piracy), my tastes in music and my spending habits have changed quite a bit. I haven't stepped foot in a music store in seven years or so (if I have, it was to look up a CD and then leave).

Since then, I've turned to 1930s style (Frank Sinatra), Classical, Celtic, etc. The only CDs I ever purchase are ones that come directly from bands (I support local bands by the university in my city as much as possible) or musicians (at the Renaissance Faire or outside of Disneyland on weekend nights when I go).

Music being pushed and sponsored by the recording industry now has no meaning or soul. They have no historical sound quality (like John Lee Hooker to blues or Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin). In my opinion, there's too much music for someone of my tastes. And much of the music I like (local and such) can't be found on iTunes or any other place.

A bit off-subject so my apologies.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:02am

They remind me of Al Quida or the Taliban
The RIAA is the last desperate cry of a dying industry. Much like Al Quida, Isreal, the Taliban or the Christain Wacko movement in America are all demonstrations of the last dying cries of religion. As these antiquainted ideas are phased out of the human experience (marginalized as irrelevent in a educated world), those that are heavily invested in them become more and more desperate. You can see it in the phony evangelical movement in America (which frankly couldnt be much farther from the teachings of jesus) or the fear inspired acts of Isreal and you can also see a very similar dynamic in the acts and reactions of the RIAA.
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Evil Mike, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:31am

My that's funny..
"(marginalized as irrelevent[sic] in a educated world)"

Oh, I even had to wipe a tear from my eye after laughing so hard. Thank you.

At last measure (in 2005) USA ranked 18 of 24.

75% of the world has better education than we do.

(The reason, of course, is that it's easier to dupe ignorant materialistic people into following their "elected" officials--thinking intelligent people ask too many pointed questions.)
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- Jeremy, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:57am
  
  Re: My that's funny..
  "At last measure (in 2005) USA ranked 18 of 24.
  75% of the world has better education than we do."
  
  There's only 24 countries in the world? Then again, maybe you're intentionally making a point about the substandard education...
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  - Evil Mike, 24 Dec 2008 @ 9:10am
    
    Re: Re: My that's funny..
    18 out of the 24 countries rated by the study.
    (Honestly, how hard is it to read between the lines there?)
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- Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 9:26am
  
  Re: My that's funny..
  "Oh, I even had to wipe a tear from my eye after laughing so hard. Thank you.
  
  At last measure (in 2005) USA ranked 18 of 24.
  
  75% of the world has better education than we do."
  
  Your welcome, but Im not sure where you got the idea I was American (Im not) or was talking about America (I wasnt, except where specifically mentioned)? I was talking the death of out moded ideas in the WORLD, like religion or the Recording Industries business model. The term "world" isnt a synonym for America . . . is it?
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  - Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 10:55am
    
    Re: Re: My that's funny..
    Well, you said some statistic about American education, then said "we". Therefore we assumed you were American. At least I did.
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Daniel, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:36am

You must change...
It's much like a child who has a favorite toy. They spend hours and hours playing with it. But when you take it from them (as punishment, say), the child will scream bloody murder. It's a temper tantrum, and no matter what the child did to earn such punishment, they only see the toy being taken away. From a psychological standpoint, they only see the toy taken and not what they must do to earn it back.

This is much the same way as the RIAA reaped the benefits of 2+ decades of pushing music (the 80s big hair bands for example). None of that money was ever put into researching new technologies to protect it, only new formats (CD). While I agree one company cannot simply push a new format onto the world overnight, they had 2 decades to transition. But they became fat from their own profits.

Piracy does occur and when taken down to brass tacks, it can be considered stealing (due to the advertising costs and distribution, shipping, paying the bands, etc.). But putting newspapers outside on a shelf for anyone to take and then screaming because they were taken... well, that's psychologically infantile.

Get with the times, or you will be no more. Develop something new, or you'll wither and die. If you need protective technology, research it. If the technology doesn't exist, create it. The world is too big for one organization to change, so the organization *must* change itself.
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- Future Boy, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:40am
  
  Re: You must change...
  Psychology is about as advanced a science as astrology.
  
  If I remember correctly, eventually somebody born in this generation will discover a better way of explaining and interacting with the human mind. Until then, you should stop listening to "Witch Doctors" who have no real knowledge.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:52am
    
    Re: Re: You must change...
    "Until then, you should stop listening to "Witch Doctors" who have no real knowledge."
    
    yeah all this non-sense about chemistry and evolution . . . its just rediculous . . .
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    - Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 10:59am
      
      Re: Re: Re: You must change...
      Well, the second part maybe.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2008 @ 3:56pm
    
    Re: Re: You must change...
    Is Xenu coming for you Future Boy?
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Jesse, 24 Dec 2008 @ 8:51am

One of the things I find most amusing about the big content is that they imagine themselves as the kings of the world and all their consumers as the peasants who will follow where they lead. Raise CD prices? The king knows best. Sue music fans? The king knows best.

Consumers have choice in the market, and I hope we start making more of a choice against the RIAA/MPAA member companies.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 9:07am

I had to add my 5 cents.
I came from a comunist Poland. There was no official market for recording industry. We purchased music at the market, on tapes. Usually made in somebodys basement. Thats how music was tested whether it was wordy or crap. Guess what, our radio stations played the music that was popular on the real market, not the crap the recording industry was shoveling down our throats. Our stations were playing a wide variety of music and not Brittney all day long.
To sum it all up. I thing that the piracy or what I call a free market is what separates true artists from garbage pushers.
Excuse my spelling.
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- Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 11:06am
  
  Re:
  wait, so you you're saying we should all become commies?
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Daniel, 24 Dec 2008 @ 9:22am

"Until then, you should stop listening to "Witch Doctors" who have no real knowledge."

Your flouride's low... * shakes a chicken over his head *
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Steve R. (profile), 24 Dec 2008 @ 10:30am

It's Self Aware!
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- Steve R. (profile), 24 Dec 2008 @ 10:33am
  
  Re: It's Self Aware!
  In the bad Science Fiction movies, the clueless scientist sees his project going berserk. I can always pull the power plug he muses. The power plug is pulled, alas the monster turns out to be self powered and goes on a killing spree.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 11:32am

It must be a financial decision
Any accusation that the RIAA has made that they don’t see through to settlement risks becoming a counter lawsuit. Even if the RIAA would like to stop, the people subject to their baseless accusations may not view that as much of an apology. The RIAA must think it’s less financially damaging to press ahead than risk getting sued back. Not so much that they think everyone’s stupid, more that telling the truth would make them look even worse.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Dec 2008 @ 1:20pm

Piracy is the new shareware. I try everything I can get online first and then will buy it if it is worth a crap otherwise I delete it. Software, music, movies, you name it...why would anyone buy something they have no idea they will like beforehand in this day and age? Why would anyone expect me to pay for something I dont like? Who goes to a concert where a band you have never heard of before is playing and put down 75 bucks for a seat? I test drive a car before I buy it...Even Microsoft is starting to get into the act with limited time trial versions of office on laptops. Now the music industry is so far behind the 8 ball that entire networks of free music is available and easier to attain than they ever could have imagined- if only they had put all that legal money towards distribution and played the margin numbers instead they would still be making a pretty penny instead of gasping their last breath. They are a perfect example of how not to run a business and decades from now their model will be pulled out in business and marketing classes where they will show how the industry could have made billions and instead lost everything.
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lordmorgul, 24 Dec 2008 @ 6:37pm

"Not so much that they think everyone’s stupid, more that telling the truth would make them look even worse."

I really don't think that is even possible anymore. The RIAA has become the epitome of 'Evil Corporation'. They exist to scam paying customers and reap profits at any cost to their future business... or the future of the musicians they are exploiting in the process.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Dec 2008 @ 4:30am

"Do they really think that everyone is stupid?"

The problem with people like those at the RIAA is that they are stupid and, like most exceptionally stupid people, they believe that they are smarter than everyone else. I'm sure that they believe that Techdirt and information sources like it are the real problem, not the fact that they lack any noticeable sign of sense, business or common.
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