RIAA Sues Man for Copying His Own CD– For Himself
The RIAA’s crusade against file sharing has not worked particularly well. In a country where 69% of teenagers believe it’s legal to copy CD’s and give them to their friends, the message is not getting through.
But instead of recognizing the lay of the land and adjusting to the new media terrain accordingly, the RIAA is instead “going to the mattresses,” to use a Mafia term. They’re taking the war to the next level.
Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, AZ, man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, is being sued by the industry on grounds it is illegal for someone who has legally bought a CD to copy that music onto his or her computer.
Sony BMG’s Jennifer Pariser said that “when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song.” Copying a song you bought is “a nice way of saying ’steals just one copy,’ ” she said.
This comes on the heels of a ruling that made Jammie Thomas, a Minnesota woman, pay $220,000 for sharing 24 music files over the internet. That works out to a fine of $9,250 per song.
The record industry is struggling right now, that is for sure, but instead of blaming music consumers and attacking small-time file sharers, the RIAA needs to find a way for the industry to evolve as other mediums are. Going after people for copying their own music is simply ridiculous and sullies the entire venture for the RIAA. Now they just look silly.
Technorati Tags: riaa, old media, file sharing
