[78-L] RIAA Lawsuits

[Michael Biel]

Robert Shirer wrote:
> Hi all,
> If you haven't seen the following from the Wall Street Journal, it might be of interest.
>
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122966038836021137.html
>
> I especially liked this quote: "Critics say the legal offensive ultimately did little to stem the tide of illegally downloaded music. And it created a public-relations disaster for the industry, whose lawsuits targeted, among others, several single mothers, a dead person and a 13-year-old girl."  Public relations disaster, ya think?  It was probably hard to collect from the dead person; maybe put a lien on the girl's junior high graduation presents.
>
> Cheers,
> Bob Shirer
They collected.  Believe me, they collected.  They got 5 grand from the 
13-year old's single mother living in city housing in the Bronx.  A 
defense group contributed the money.  Unlike what the article said and 
most people would think, it was NOT "a public-relations disaster for the 
industry".  There were high-fives all around in the RIAA office when the 
headlines hit the newsstands.  It is what they wanted -- headlines.   
They wanted to find ordinary people in their suit list to scare the 
bejeebers out of everybody.  It they could sue THAT LITTLE GIRL and WIN, 
then what will they do to ME???!!!!   They weren't out for money, they 
were out to SCARE people, and nothing was more scary than suing a little 
girl or a welfare grandmother.   


Mike (i hate the riaa) Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com