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Let’s see how many comments this controversial post generates. So exciting. 
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After burning out on he-said-she-said politics last year, I started blogging about digital technology, digital music technology, to be exact. I’m not a music or tech blogger, but it was an oddly satisfying distraction. A reporter quoted from one of my tech posts, and I picked up a few readers genuinely interested in the new stuff.
But I returned to political blogging because…hmmm.
Anyway, I blogged about the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) case against a man who illegally shared music files, Atlantic Recording Corporation v. Pamela and Jeffrey Howell. The RIAA is a trade organization that represents major record labels. For those who care about the outcome of the case, here’s an update:
The RIAA won, sort of. (Source)
Then: Jeffrey Howell was accused of copyright infringement for sharing files over a peer-to-peer file sharing network called Kazaa. After various claims were made back and forth, the judge sided with Howell. Making files available for illegal downloading didn’t constitute distribution, he said; therefore, the recording company had not proved that Howell infringed copyright, or some such.
Now: Last week, the judge ruled that Howell “willfully and intentionally destroyed evidence” after he learned the RIAA was suing him. He was fined $40,500.
As you may recall, the RIAA is under the gun for going after individuals, especially college students, for downloading music files without paying. Colleges and universities are rebelling against the RIAA for “cutting into their faculty’s work day” by requiring them to look for and turn in students illegally downloading files. (Source)
It’s a tough situation. Artists should be paid for their work, but the music industry model is broken. Suing fans is bad form.
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I know this is controversial stuff, so please be civil in the comment section!
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Previous posts:
- RIAA’s ‘Make Available’ Claim Smacked Down Again
- RIAA and the ‘Make Available’ Claim
- Stop, Thief! Before You Rip That CD…
