Here is an article written by Ted Bridis of the Associated Press, that gives us a feel of what it is like to be a litigant in an RIAA suit. We also can learn by reading this story, of how some working within the legal system itself, are taken aback by the ruthless nature of these proceedings. Recently, a man from California was forced to refinance his home, in order to pay the RIAA US$ 11,000 in a copyright infringement settlement. The man professed his innocence all along, but once the music industry got hold of his hard drive, they were able to recover deleted files proving their case. Privacy? You have none when it comes against the almighty copyright.
"Apparently, they would be able to garnishee my earnings for the rest of my life," Plank said. "For the amount I'm settling, this made sense. I didn't see any other way. They've got all the power in the world." The campaign has also produced worries, even 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. "I've never had a situation like this before, where there are powerful plaintiffs and powerful lawyers on one side and then a whole slew of ordinary folks on the other side," said U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner at a hearing in Boston. Dozens of such lawsuits have been filed in her court. |
Please take the time to read the entire article. Learn what can happen when we have laws that are outdated, where on one side you have an endless supply of revenue and powerful legal staffs and on the other you have ordinary citizens that struggle to make ends meet. Learn what it is like to debate not what is right or wrong, but what is "legal or illegal". For the crime of sharing low quality music in the privacy of their own homes, sometimes by teenagers, these citizens are having their privacy trampled and their finances drained. Is this justice? Was this the intent of these copyright protections when written?
The most infuriating thing of all is, the people doing the suing are being financed with our dollars of support. I never dreamed there would come a day that music could so negatively effect peoples lives or their privacy. A long time ago, John Lennon sang the line "Imagine no possession", I guess those days are over. Unless you remember the other tune called "Fight the power".
Source: Boston.com
