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View Full Version : RIAA sued (making SirFozzie happy)

Easy Mac
10-02-2005, 08:15 AM
Not sure how viable the suit is, as parts seem sketchy, but I think they have a good case if they follow through on the RICO/racketeering aspect.

http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/2005/10/oregon-riaa-victim-fights-back-sues.html
SirFozzie
10-02-2005, 08:30 AM
Interesting. With the caveat that all of this is ONE side of the story, I think that this is the part that that the RIAA is going to have a hard time with (They got some 'splanin to do, Lucy)

51. An employee of Settlement Support Center admitted to Ms. Andersen that he believed that she had not downloaded any music. He explained that Settlement Support Center and the record companies would not quit the debt collection activity against her because to do so would encourage other people to defend themselves against the record companies’ claims

That there's some prime RICO/racketeering stuff there.
Airhog
10-02-2005, 11:00 AM
Im not quite sure how they can collect a debt from someone if they don't take them to court? Do most people get scared and just pay up? If the RIAA came knocking at my door, I would most certainly fight tooth and nail against them. What do I have to lose?
clintl
10-02-2005, 11:03 AM
If the RIAA is really going as far as alleged here, I hope RICO suits bankrupt them (and their member labels). They've transcended a misguided approach to dealing with illegal filesharing, and moved in Mafia-type behavior, which is a lot worse the kind of petty copyright infringement they're fighting.
clintl
10-02-2005, 11:06 AM
Im not quite sure how they can collect a debt from someone if they don't take them to court? Do most people get scared and just pay up? If the RIAA came knocking at my door, I would most certainly fight tooth and nail against them. What do I have to lose?

Perhaps millions of extra dollars, if you lost the case and had downloaded lots of files. The maximum damages are $150K per infringement. And the RIAA is counting on that threat to convince people to settle for $10K instead.
Airhog
10-02-2005, 11:56 AM
Perhaps millions of extra dollars, if you lost the case and had downloaded lots of files. The maximum damages are $150K per infringement. And the RIAA is counting on that threat to convince people to settle for $10K instead.

The difference between 150k and millions of dollars is no difference at all. I could not afford to pay either amount, and if I had to, I would declare bankruptcy, and they wouldnt see a red cent...