RIAA drops suit against person with no computer

[Justin]

The music industry is facing another minor setback in the courts, admitting that a case they brought to trial was faulty from the start. Specifically, RIAA member Universal Music Group has been forced to drop a case against someone who apparently did not even own a computer at the time copyright infringement supposedly occurred. The flawed evidence was collected by anti-piracy snooping firm MediaSentry, which has been criticized before for regularly misidentifying file sharers by making assumptions about the accuracy of IP addresses.

Numerous cases like this have appeared since the RIAA began their massive legal campaign. For all their effort, has it benefited them (or anyone) at all? It's been demonstrated before that the lawsuits, as a whole, are a losing proposition for the RIAA in terms of money – and it certainly hasn't helped their public appearance either.

The RIAA's more or less broken promise to stop suing people left and right has done nothing to benefit their reputation in the eyes of the music consumers. Though they insist that methods like lawsuits and making ISPs tax their customers is they way to save the music industry, they've yet to show any tangible evidence that what they are doing is right.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/35231-riaa-drops-suit-against-person-with-no-computer.html

 

[Guest]

The industry has made it us against them. They lose. It may take a while for it to filter through all that money and power (that came from us) but, they have already cut their own throat. Just rewards I'd say.

 

[southbeatz1169]

The music industry should attempt to better market their media on the internet, rather than attempt to sue everyone that wants to download a song for free. The quality of music isn't always what it could be or what it once was and honestly, most albums simply are not worth buying. There are ways to market media online to avoid taking losses but this is the problem with America and most of the world.

These large companies want to bleed every penny they can out of the consumer and when the consumer takes a shortcut then sometimes the company tries to take the consumer to court to get their money but in the process often will spend more and end up losing in more than just one way. The music industry simply needs to quit whining and find more methods to make money from their media.

 

[ChrisDown]

The RIAA really are silly. And wrong. I think TFD sums it up best.

 

[Buckyg66]

The RIAA should sue Sony for manufacturing equipment and media that allows people to copy and burn copyright material. Sony and other manufacturers of blank media must know that the huge sales of the media is being used for unlawful purposes.

 

[JDoors]

@Justin: "Though [the RIAA] insist that methods like lawsuits and making ISPs tax their customers is they way to save the music industry, they've yet to show any tangible evidence that what they are doing is right."

Did you mean, "they've yet to show any tangible evidence that what they are doing is WORKING."?

I wonder if it's possible to find out just how many people have resisted pirating solely because of the possibility they'd get sued by the RIAA?

 

[Justin]

My assumption is that if there is any substantial amount of people being deterred by their methods, the RIAA would play that up as much as possible. We don't see that much - we instead only hear about how they "must" do what they do. Why the discrepancy?

 

[gobbybobby]

Its all corrupt. I think governments should not get invlolved and music companys and the RIAA should stop filing lawsuites against people. More should be done to encourage music services like spotify and the Nokia unlimited music deal with Orange. Its great that the UK top 40 chart will include music streams from spotify next year. I also find that music is of Higher quality on pirate websites then I tunes and other sources. I want my music at 320!

 

[Badfinger]

Record companies cheat artists, that's old news, think Motown era, it's well documented.

Of course when they feel cheated, they try to sic the dog (RIAA) on the folks, this whole thing should
not be much of surprise?

Just my .02

 

[TJGeezer]

RIAA vs. the Banana Peel? They lose.

ha ha ha ha ha

 

[raybay]

They will find new ways of making us talk... one good torture deserves another... and eventually they will find other judges who like money and hate music.

 

[JDoors]

@Justin: "My assumption is that if there is any substantial amount of people being deterred by their methods, the RIAA would play that up as much as possible. We don't see that much - we instead only hear about how they "must" do what they do. Why the discrepancy?"

Aha! To perpetuate their relevancy. That's it. That's all there is to that story.

 

[ChrisDown]

They will find new ways of making us talk... one good torture deserves another... and eventually they will find other judges who like money and hate music.

I think most of the issue doesn't even come from greed or prejudice, it comes from general ignorance of what filesharing is and how it works.

 

[theluckyman]

try me, RIAA do that sh** on me n i will make sure i will get yourself a disbanded...don't mess with pirates including me, punk.

everyone, RIAA should disbanded someday because it is pain in everyone's asses. RIAA already got burning softwares so we got our burning softwares for ourself, we need to get paid, and we all need money to living, right? if internet already got free stuff on internet it doesn't mean RIAA can fix it by suing people with insane charges? i remembered old news about RIAA suing mom about $1.9 millions for just 24 downloads? pfft....i can download more than 24 n i ain't gonna pay any nonsense cent...if it's on internet then it's free. well RIAA need to make my *** famous if RIAA gonna make a material for me like dvd, music, etc... if not then RIAA better leave "cant-afford stuff" or another word poor people alone...

 

[JDoors]

"You coppers ain't never gonna catch me!"

Brilliant, just brilliant.