Judges get nervy about music cases -- The opinions expressed are purely mine or enlightened individuals.

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4 ]

Subject: Judges get nervy about music cases

Author:
Betty

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 12:07:40 08/23/04 Mon
In reply to: Betty 's message, "RIAA & goofy laws." on 17:09:22 02/01/04 Sun

Big guys beating up on the little ones

By Nick Farrell: Monday 23 August 2004, 06:54

THERE ARE signs that US Judges are becoming a little uneasy about the way the music industry is hauling the little people before the courts with acusations of music piracy.
According to a report from Associated Press, the campaign has also produced worries from one federal judge, that wealthy record companies could trample some of the 3,935 people across the country who have been sued since the first such cases were filed in September 2003.

US District Judge Nancy Gertner at a hearing in Boston said she had never had a situation like this before, where there are powerful plaintiffs and powerful lawyers on one side and then shedloads of ordinary folks on the other.

Another judge rejected an injunction sought by record companies against one Internet user, saying it would violate her rights. The judge, in California, rejected an injunction banning Lisa Dickerson from illegally distributing music online.

Although the judge agreed Dickerson was guilty, he said there was no evidence she was still breaking the law and determined that such a ban on future behavior would violate her rights. However she was ordered to pay record companies $6,200 in penalties and court costs.

Most of the people sued by the record industry are settling out of court out of fear of the music industry lawyers taking them to the cleaners.

Amoung them are the parents of teenagers who never knew what their kids were up to, elderly and generally poor people.

Generally you can buy a get out of jail free card from the music industry for $3,000, when the cost of losing in court will be $8,000.

Unfortunately this means that very few of the cases are actually getting to court and so far no-one has found a remedy agains the music industry legal steamroller.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Subject	Author	Date
RIAA upset over Canadian recording device	Betty	06:46:21 08/30/04 Mon