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N.C. State Gives RIAA the Finger

MONDAY APRIL 16 2007 7:00 PM

Submitted by almostfamous. Edited By erin_broadley.

TAGS: RIAA, Filesharing, P2P, Lawsuit

While the RIAA shows no signs of changing its scare-the-pants-off-the-little-guy tactics, fewer people seem daunted and more are stepping up to fight. Maybe stories like that of über-lawyer Meri Ledford III, Esq. are inspiring people, because the Student Legal Services office of N.C State is urging the 23 students the RIAA has dropped letters on to tell them to go fuck themselves.

The RIAA filed 23 music theft lawsuits against anonymous NCSU network users after they refused to take the settlement.

The lawsuits are in the form of "John Doe lawsuits," meaning that the RIAA does not know the names of the people it has filed against.

The users have been identified by their IP addresses, according to an RIAA spokesperson who declined to give her name or be directly quoted.
[...]
"The RIAA actually said they might have use for the names in the future," Gerace said,

She added that this could prove dangerous for the students, as the RIAA could pursue other legal actions or give the names to record companies.

The letter sent to NCSU had nothing about a timeline for other settlements to be made or what the lawsuit will entail, Gerace said.
[...]
The RIAA accompanied the initial settlements along with a sample listing of songs the students downloaded.

"[The number of songs] ranged from 10 to 2,000," Gerace said. "They said it could be $750 per song. The letter said, though, that they could just pay $3,000, which would not be based on the number of songs."

So... 2,000 x 750... $1,500,000

The RIAA says you, lowly music pirate, have cost the music industry one and a half million dollars just by filling a single iPod Nano. How do you sleep at night? I guess the N.C. State students think it's as bullshit as the rest of us, if only one of them was scared enough to come forward wanting to settle. Student Legal Services clearly has ideas about the legality of the RIAA's actions though.

The students who are being subpoenaed do have options though through Legal Services. One of those options, Gerace said, is making a motion to quash.

"If someone is subpoenaed and they say they don't want to comply, the subpoenaed party says they can't come for a certain reason," Gerace said. "Then it goes to the federal court who could take a year to make a decision."
[...]
"But if they do nothing and it is valid, then the University would have to give out their names and addresses," Gerace said.

The student newspaper, The Technician, is also urging students not to give in to the bullying tactics.

It's apparent, based on the amount of attention the University gets from the RIAA, that we are one of its main targets, and this is something we all must fight.

We realize that students who engage in music piracy have done something illegal, and neither Student Legal Services nor the Technician advocates for it.
[...]
It is imperative that the University community makes it clear that the RIAA can't shove us around with its deep pockets, and the opposition starts with the accused -- students.

Whilst everyone hates the RIAA, and everyone loves a pirate, the important thing here is that the RIAA loves to ignore legal processes, safe in the knowledge most of the people they're dealing with won't have a lawyer dig into things and find out how things should be done. Hopefully N.C. State will be able to emulate Meri Ledford III, Esq's victory; if enough people do then, maybe the RIAA will start playing by the rules.

Hat tip: Slashdot

23 Comments

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stigmatamartyr13

Indianapolis, IN

February 2007

APR 16, 2007 07:15 PM

Sounds better than what they're doing here. Supposedly Purdue ranks #1 in music and movie downloads yet the University is just handing people over. No advice, no nothing. Assholes.

Nobzey

Brampton, ON

October 2005

APR 16, 2007 07:18 PM

Fuck the RIAA and don't pirate, we all win!

StarBelliedBoy

Philadelphia, PA

December 2003

APR 16, 2007 07:25 PM

How the hell can they justify $750 a song? Color me boggled.

st_even

Milwaukee, WI

September 2006

APR 16, 2007 07:27 PM

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where I go to school, is also ignoring the letters sent by the RIAA. They're gathering up as many of their attorneys as they can, prepared to fight this tooth and nail, and I guarantee you that within a year the RIAA will have left the university alone. I think the number of letters sent was 30-something here. We all got e-mails about it informing us that the letter would not be sent out; I think I remember there was also a picture at the end of a giant middle finger. Or maybe not, maybe I'm projecting.

violentlyshaking

Johnsonville, NY

April 2007

APR 16, 2007 07:32 PM

They got a boss of mine one time.. it was bad news.

Tangus

Winter Park, FL

November 2005

APR 16, 2007 07:33 PM

yeah Raleigh!!!

/hometown pride

Tangus

Winter Park, FL

November 2005

APR 16, 2007 07:34 PM

oh, and also, it's times like these that make me incredibly happy to be a member of Oink.

_R_

Raleigh, NC

January 2004

APR 16, 2007 08:01 PM

That's my alma mater.

trestria

Knightdale, NC

October 2004

APR 16, 2007 08:16 PM

MY ALMA MATER!

alter_ego

Eau Claire, WI

October 2005

APR 16, 2007 08:38 PM

Down with authority! Everyone should be able to steal whatever they want!

Trahern

United Kingdom

March 2003

APR 16, 2007 08:40 PM

Star Wars fanfilms taught me that, as long as you don't make any money by borrowing something from someone else, it's okay. If only the concept could be made law.

RiderMusic

I'm lost

February 2006

APR 16, 2007 10:06 PM

I Have A Question!
I wonder how many of the people who feel that it's alright to pirate music would feel the same way if it was THEIR music that was being pirated. Hmmmmmm.
Do I smell hypocrisy here. Just a thought!!

FunkySkunk

Gainesville, FL

July 2004

APR 16, 2007 10:09 PM

'Blah, at University of Florida they have security programs that monitor your internet activities. If you are caught with any filesharing software:
1st offense: no internet for 20 minutes
2nd offense: no internet for a a day
3rd offense: no internet for a semester
4th offense: no internet period.
Lucky I live off campus =). Though another offcampus friend just had his Cable connection shut off for a few days for "illegal downloading". Supposedly they are adopting a 3 strikes and ur out policy....

natethewriter

Nashville, TN

April 2007

APR 16, 2007 10:13 PM

The problem is the approach people take toward file sharing. Share in your communities. Meet your friends and their friends and swap terabyte drives. Set up meeting times where all of you can swap new music. Split the cost of a new album, sell it used, and burn it for everyone.

One album for $15, resold for five dollars, split between ten people who just want the music and not the pretty package, means the newest releases to whoever wants them for about 50 cents each by my math.

If you're really good, buy a shrink wrap machine, so that you can buy the disc, open it, burn it, re-assemble it, return the wrapped package or exchange it for the other album you've been dying to hear. Rinse and repeat. This isn't rocket science, it just involves talking to real people. Scary concept, I know...