RIAA Threatens 15-Year-Old

MunchMunch writes "It looks like the RIAA is still going after teenagers--this time, 15-year old Megan Dickinson was caught sharing 1,100 files. At the maximum statutory damages for copyright infringement, this makes Megan's liability at least $825,000, at most a mere $165,000,000. Naturally, the RIAA benevolently offered a $3,500 settlement to avoid these moderate, legally sanctioned damages. As we can hardly forget, the RIAA has already used this technique to settle with a 12 year old. Megan's unsurprising take: 'Yeah, it seems ridiculous.'"

Re:What's stopping

[Anonymous Coward]

Or for that matter, [pinkie to lip] one MILLION dollars.

Why don't these people fight?

[whackco]

I know I would represent myself under the 'my computer was compromised by Windowz insecurities and I didn't know this was going on' defense?!?!?!

Good idea?

[Hexydes]

First they sue a 12 year old girl, and now a 15 year old girl. Is their new plan of attack to sue the only portion of their demographic that are still buying CDs?

RIAA's Day-after Thanksgiving sale already?

[TypeMRT]

99.6% off sounds like a deal to me.

Re:Assassination?

[moosesocks]

Thanks to the dude who moderated this as insightful, I am now locking all of the doors in my house, and am putting on my bullet-proof vest.

Only in America. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

Re:I'm not afraid of you!

[Anonymous Coward]

The penalties for downloading music run about 99c/file ...I'll sort through my selection of 400 some-odd files, count out how many are indie or not coverred by the RIAA, which will be around 300, and then pay them their $1,000

Better yet, I'll sell you the same 100 songs for 50 cents each - that's only $500.

Re:Nothing better to do

[bakes]

RIAA really pisses me off, which I am sure is a sediment of many here in /.

If you have sediment in your piss, I think you have bigger problems than paying too much for your CDs.

Re:1100 FILES???

[Powercntrl]

Pah... 1,100 files is nothing, why I have... Umm, that's $750 per song minimum. Let's see, multiply by the number of songs on my server, my laptop, the misc. other systems around the house, carry the 1, uhh... Uh oh.

On second thought, NOPE, I have no music at ALL! Nope, I'm entirely pirate music free! You happy RIAA lawyers have a great day and thanks for keeping me honest.

Re:uh

[monique]

If a 15 year old girl has a nudie pic of a 15 year old boy, I'd probably chalk it up to good clean fun.

Now, if a 30 year old woman has a nudie pic of a 15 year old boy, *then* I'd have issues.

"Stealing" vs. "copyright infringement" aside, I agree that she's probably doing something illegal, but I still think the RIAA are assholes, and I continue to boycott them in the hopes that they and their whole system of music distribution die a nasty, flaming death.

The music machine has so disgusted many of us that we have trouble seeing people who act against their interests, even illegally, as bad ... just as (to a different degree) it would be hard to be terribly upset at someone who, say, stole some fancy silverware from Saddam Hussein.

If you are going to be a criminal...

[Phosphor3k]

Don't be a stupid criminal.

Not enough to share?

[MoeMoe]

Leave the toying with children thing to Michael Jackson, RIAA... It's his job to poke around in their pockets not yours.

Seriously though, the RIAA doesn't care who you are so long as you've got their material without paying for it. Instead of this whole big campaign against people who share their material, why not use it to pay the artists in compensation for the money they "might" be losing?

Don't you know?

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't you know the unwritten rule for using laws against the corporations that lobbied for the?

11. Thou shalt not challenge the authoritai of The Wife.
12. Thou shalt not use a law paid for by a corporation against that same corporation.
13. Thou shalt not put the Chest Pain unit for Seniors on the 13th floor of a Hospital.

You know, I just have to say . . .

[CleverNickName]

I'd really like to punch the RIAA right in its bitch mouth.

Then, while it writhes on the sidewalk, I'd turn to the MPAA, and say, "You're next, Nancy."

Then I'd swagger off to Moe's for a Duff.

Wow, my data is worth alot!

[Warpedcow]

By my calculations, my mp3 collection could hit me with a $2.5 Billion dollar fine. Who knew that 100GB could be worth more than the GDP of most third-world countries?

Dave

Re:Assassination?

[Lehk228]

This isn't about IF someone will go over the edge, it's about WHEN someone goes over and how far over the edge they go, It could be as simple as a small pistol and one or two dead or it could be a Van loaded with explosives crashed into an RIAA target. The fact is that if you randomly select and threaten to ruin the lives of people eventually you are certain to pick the wrong person. And by limiting your search space to heavy file sharers you are selecting from a group of more hardcore internet users, which have an even higher concentration of unstable individuals. I don't think this will be an assasination, but more a blind lashing out against the RIAA or possibly a record store.... just to be safe i'm going to stay away from record stores to avoid becoming collateral damage.

Re:What?

[0x0d0a]

This is just to scare people off the P2P networks. It's bullying, it's harrasement. It's like the police coming down the street and smashing your window because you're a petty thief. That's not how you get people to stop breaking the law, that's how you start wars.

Actually, it is.

Most criminals aren't caught, most stolen property not recovered, most murders not solved.

However, the *risk* of getting caught deters a lot more people than the number of people being thrown behind bars.

Re:difference between the RIAA and Michael Jackson

[foggi3]

There is no difference. They both screw kids

RIAA INVADES HOMES!!!

[popo]

It's totally true.

You heard it here first.

The RIAA has been conducting SURPRISE RAIDS [processrequest.com] of people's homes.

RIAA represents the Artist???

[JustAnotherReader]

"We cannot allow online piracy to continue destroying the livelihoods of artists, musicians, and songwriters"

said RIAA President Cary Sherman. "That's our job!"