“Lawsuits don’t put money in creator’s pockets”
In a report released today, RIAA v. The People: Four Years Later, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) provides a comprehensive look at the four-year litigation campaign waged by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) against music fans. The report traces the RIAA campaign from its beginnings in 2003 against a handful of students up to now.
The RIAA, writes EFF, continues to target college campuses for hundreds of new lawsuits each month. Under pressure from the recording industry, universities are establishing austere punishments for students suspected of sharing music files. In total, says the report, RIAA has already sued 20.000 file sharers.
“Despite the RIAA’s legal campaign, file-sharing is more popular than ever,” said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Fred von Lohmann. “History will treat this as a shameful chapter in the history of the music industry, when record companies singled out random music fans for disproportionate penalties. Artists must be compensated, but these lawsuits aren’t putting money in any creator’s pocket.”
Back to School for Reading, Writing, and RIAA Lawsuits? - EFF (the report can be downloaded from there)
“Schandfleck” in der Musikgeschichte - ORF Futurezone
