HRRC accuses RIAA of going back on its word with XM lawsuit

May 19, 2006

DamnedIfIknow used our news submit to tell us that one of the problems with people is they have a short memory. Another thing I learned since moving to a new area of my country, is to get things in writing. Because even if you remember, maybe your contractor or business partners will forget their promises. When money is involved, it seems peoples words can not be counted upon any longer in this day and age. With some, the pledge of their personal word can no longer be counted upon.

This organization responsible for the following press release, might be worth us bookmarking and keeping an eye on in the future. They call themselves the Home Recoding Rights Coalition or (HRRC) and this is from their about page:

The HRRC, though it recently 'turned 21," still cannot vote- but its consumer, retailer, and servicer supporters can. HRRC focuses the efforts and concerns, of its activist supporters in Washington, D.C.

We help arrange visits to offices of Members of Congress, both in D.C. and at home. We provide up-to-date information and summaries of the issues…so YOUR VOICE can be heard.

Below, you can read a portion of a recent press release that was posted on their site:

The industry that advised consumers, the Congress and the courts that it would not abuse the legal tools it sought from them has done just that, charged the Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) today. In a suit aimed directly at consumer practices it has long led the public to believe it had no intention to challenge, the recording industry has now, via lawsuit, labeled its best customers as pirates and sought unprecedented tools to use against them.

Today HRRC Chairman Gary Shapiro said: "I have a long enough memory to be astonished at the suit filed yesterday. We worked in good faith with the music industry to help pass the Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA), based on personal assurances that I received that it would put an end to this sort of harassing lawsuit against private, noncommercial consumer conduct. Yesterday the major labels filed such a suit, against the use of devices clearly covered by the AHRA, without so much as a mention of the law that provides for royalties on these devices, and which was clearly written to remove even the threat of this sort of bogus lawsuit."

Yay! Thanks for the news and the link, DamnedIfIknow. It's good to know that there are organizations out there, that are aware that the average Joe or Jane feels they are no longer listened to by their Representative. Places like the HRRC could make our voices more often heard. Let's hope so.

Source: HRRC