RIAA Countersued Under Racketeering Laws

Negadin writes "According to CNET News, a New Jersey woman, one of the hundreds of people accused of copyright infringement by the Recording Industry Association of America, has countersued the big record labels, charging them with extortion and violations of the federal antiracketeering act." The woman's attornies are arguing that "...by suing file-swappers for copyright infringement, and then offering to settle instead of pursuing a case where liability could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the RIAA is violating the same laws that are more typically applied to gangsters and organized crime."

Cache of Slashdot

[Anonymous Coward]

Just in case Slashdot gets Slashdotted, here's a copy of the front page:

503 Service Unavailable

The service is not available. Please try again later.

What a waste

[macemoneta]

Should be suing SCO for extortion and racketeering. On second thought, sue them both.

Extorsion, coersion, blackmail...

[gui_tarzan2000]

... sounds like a good plot for an episode of "The Sopranos"!

Racket

[Abit667]

The RIAA does make a bit of a racket, finally some one telling them to quiet up.

Coincidence????

[rueger]

Was I the only person who was unable to access the Slashdot site at the exact moment that this was posted?

Coincidence? I think not!

In his immortal gangster words...

[narftrek]

Say hello to my LITTLE FRIEND!

*mows down RIAA*

God I love you Pacino....

Mobsters

[MaxwellX22]

How dare they compare the Scum of the RIAA to such upstanding citizens. Such as: Al Capone, Tony Montana, and Don Corleone

protection money

[stonebeat.org]

if it is cheaper on a monthly basis, I might just pay the protection money to RIAA, instead of signing up for itunes [apple.com]/audible [audible.com] ;)
It is a joke. Laff!! :)

Re:Extorsion, coersion, blackmail...

[Defender2000]

Or, in this case, the Sopriaanos.

Re:Extorsion, coersion, blackmail...

[Takara]

Conversation after the RIAA cornered one of the newly sued.

RIAA: You really would let me sue you, you sick fuck.
College Kid: You ever hear of casettes? People have been downloading music for decades. The Industry tried to take advantage of people back then, and where are they now?
RIAA: You're looking at them, asshole.

Not only that

[rasafras]

But if the RIAA is making a racket, they might be infringing on the copyright belonging to these guys. [racketmusic.com]
*rimshot*

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Hmm, wonder if RIAA uses Linux on their servers?

[b0r0din]

Maybe you could get SCO to sue the RIAA if they use Linux on their machines, and vice versa? Oh if it were only possible to get them both suing each other, and maybe take themselves out in the process. Or maybe just nuke em both.

Re:Why aren't there arrests?

[LocoSpitz]

How are they going to arrest the RIAA? Handcuff the front door?

Government raids Microsoft, seizes all pc's..

[Anonymous Coward]

Today, Police raided the Microsoft compound on a tip from the FBI that were illegally selling WidgetX, a software product written by Jon Smitty and protected under the provisions of the GNU software license.

Microsoft denied any wrong-doing and requested that the computers be returned. They were informed by the FBI, that the machines are being examined and they may not be returned.

Re:Extorsion, coersion, blackmail...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Log off! That cookie shit makes me nervous!"
-Tony Soprano

Re:The wheel of justice grinds slow...

[Lane.exe]

Or if you have enough money.

Classic...

[slasher999]

Leave it to someone here in Jersey to strike back at them using laws made with the intent of reducing organized crime.

Re:Option B could prove very interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

"If they're old enough to be molested by Michael Jackson or a priest then they're old enough to have a license apply."

- The RIAA

Typo alert

[sacrilicious]

On point 1, we've seen many corporations (SCO, Microsoft et al) shoot themselves in the foot many times and still blindly suge ahead.

Sorry to be nitpicky, but I must point out that you put an extra 'g' in the word "sue".

Re:everyone downloading it is pirating

[B3ryllium]

Not with all the lossy codecs out there ... ... oh, wait, you mean "IN the clear", my bad.

Re:She has a case

[yroJJory]

Somebody, please think of Metallica's welfare, though! They might lose a few dollars from all these malicious lawsuits.

Re:Probably won't stick

[Bingo Foo]

if they drop too many million dollar shithammers on Joe Sixpack

Coming this summer from Random House: John Grisham's The Shithammer

Re:Wow, if everyone who gets sued by RIAA...

[wheresdrew]

If they all counter-sued and dried up RIAA's resources, it would be like the legal equivalent of a Slashdotting!

Cashdotting?

I really hate this saying...

[T3kno]

but here goes

You go girl!

YEAH WTF. THEY OWE US.

[sn0wman3030]

i need this site to be up 24/7/365. I absolutely demand it. Slashdot is my life. Without a place to post zealous linux comments, my life is meaningless. I might have to go outside or something, and then everyone would see my tiny penis, as I refuse to wear pants because pants are Microsofts way of keeping us Linux users down.

uh no

[Ender77]

"It is the first I've heard of anyone attempting that," said EFF legal director Cindy Cohn. "I guess that is a silver lining of the fact that the RIAA is suing so many people, that there are a lot of lawyers trying to figure out ways to protect folks."

Translation: This is a lot of of lawyers trying to figure out how to get money from the RIAA.

Re:huh?

[AndroidCat]

"Nice house, mortgage and retirement savings you've got here. Shame if anything happened to them."

Re:Great...

[MOMOCROME]

Nothing like a few citizens getting their ass reamed to foster change in government.

I think you are in the wrong debate: the Gay Marriage issue is being dealt with over at kuro5hin.org

Re:She has a case - really

[Xeth]

Jeeeeez.... Is this one liner getting old "It's theft" and whatnot. Can't we just whip up a bot that instantly replies with "No it's not" and is automatically modded up to +5 insightful, and cut the Karma whoring (No offense to kwandar)?

Re:It IS theft

[fucksl4shd0t]

There is a reason it has its own phrase to describe it. The legal system does not invent phrases to be more descriptive of a particular crime. It tries to be as straight forward as possible.

First degree murder

Second degree murder

Manslaughter

Involuntary Manslaughter

Vehicular Manslaughter

Involuntary Vehicular Manslaughter

And, my personal favorite:

Intoxicated Manslaughter

I always thought dead was dead, you know? In any case, copyright infringement isn't theft, which I agree with, but our legal system isn't as clear with language as you say it is. They do invent phrases to be more descriptive of a particular crime, usually because it means something specific, such as Capital Murder. You get a harsher sentence if you kill for money than you do if you kill for fun.

Re:She has a case

[fucksl4shd0t]

The prostitue may well be providing a service, but it is not a service that she invented or created or otherwise used some creative process to develop.

You've obviously never had sex. If you had, you would know that sex is much more like music than you seem to be saying, here.

No musician currently making music invented music. Just as certainly as no prostitute invented sex. Furthermore, music occurs in nature, and man-made music is just an extension of that.

Any musician will never perform the music the same way twice. A musical performance requires participation from the audience. So the quality of a given performance is dependent on both the quality of the musician's individual performance and the quality of the audience's participation.

Since you've never had sex, I'll explain to you that sex is exactly the same. Assume for a moment you're with a prostitute. The quality of the sex you are paying for is dependent on her abilities and also on the quality of your participation.

This analogy is dead on.

Re:She has a case - really

[zambotsu]

We need a judge to stand up and say that the term cyber-terrorist hereafter only applies to robots with bombs.

..or, in other words, to the governor of California.

Re:She has a case - really

[coopaq]

...most people see a huge difference between shoplifting and killing...

Is that why lawyers say, "She shoplifted so much
she made a killing. Her actions terrorized local
merchants."

So there you have it: Wynonna Ryder is a killer and
a terrorist just by the rewording of the prosecution.

I suggest a new logical language for the courts like LISP ;)

Re:Jury nullification

[Anonymous Coward]

The prinicple is called "jury nullification."

Fuckin'-A -- I'd never have guessed by reading the title and contents of the parent.