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RIAA Pays Tanya Andersen $107,951 312

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Well, Phase I of the RIAA's misguided pursuit of an innocent, disabled Oregon woman, Atlantic v. Andersen, has finally drawn to a close, as the RIAA was forced to pay Ms. Andersen $107,951, representing the amount of her attorneys fee judgment plus interest. But as some have pointed out, reimbursement for legal fees doesn't compensate Ms. Andersen for the other damages she's sustained. And that's where Phase II comes in, Andersen v. Atlantic. There the shoe is on the other foot, and Tanya is one doing the hunting, as she pursues the record companies and their running dogs for malicious prosecution. Should be interesting."
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RIAA Pays Tanya Andersen $107,951

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  • *HAPPYDANCE* (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jeiler ( 1106393 ) <go,bugger,off&gmail,com> on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:34AM (#24613331) Journal
    Way to go, Ms. Andersen!
    • by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:07AM (#24613623)
      How the hell can a first post be moderated Redundant? Friends don't let friends moderate baked.
      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by jeiler ( 1106393 )

        Probably because I didn't actually add anything substantive to the discussion. It's cool--I have the karma to burn, and my sig says it all.

        And hey, it was a first post that didn't say "First Post." That ought to count for something! :)

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by sm62704 ( 957197 )

        Since it's now modded "+5 informative" the system worked... kind of.

        "Probably because I didn't actually add anything substantive to the discussion. It's cool--I have the karma to burn, and my sig says it all." Indeed.

        The way to get karma at slashdot is to comment honestly, rationally, candidly, without rancor, and most of all don't worry about the karma. I get modded "troll" and "flamebait" quite often (despite the fact that I don't, in fact, troll, and try to be calm) but my karma is excellent and I usuall

    • by Deadfyre_Deadsoul ( 1193759 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:19AM (#24613741) Journal
      Inevitability Mrs Anderson, inevitability.
    • Re:*HAPPYDANCE* (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ElizabethGreene ( 1185405 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:59AM (#24614321)
      RIAA Lesson Learned: Do not annoy those that can devote their full time occupation to making you look like an imbecile.
  • Congratulations, Ms. Andersen. David has slain Goliath, once more.

    • by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:52AM (#24613469) Homepage Journal

      David has slain Goliath, once more.

      Not quite. David has kicked Goliath squarely in the testicles but he isn't dead.
      • by sm62704 ( 957197 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:26AM (#24613821) Journal

        In the David and Goliath story, David knocked out Goliath with a stone from a sling, then took Goliath's sword and beheaded him with it.

        If the RIAA gets beheaded this will indeed be a David and Goliath story in all respects! As it is, the RIAA is just stoned.

        • by morcego ( 260031 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @11:03AM (#24615577)

          If the RIAA gets beheaded this will indeed be a David and Goliath story in all respects! As it is, the RIAA is just stoned.

          As far as I can see, they were stoned from the start.

        • Re:Hooray Underdog! (Score:4, Informative)

          by SanityInAnarchy ( 655584 ) <ninja@slaphack.com> on Friday August 15, 2008 @11:24AM (#24615929) Journal

          Well, as long as we're talking about the David and Goliath story, once David grew up to be a general, he was pretty much as bloodthirsty and savage as any other.

          Specifically, he would cut off his enemies' foreskins as proof of how many he killed.

          Yes, you read that right -- their foreskins.

          I know this mostly because my name is David, and I used to be proud of this guy -- until I read the actual story (and not the sugarcoated kids' version, which is still pretty bad.)

          To avoid being completely offtopic, I guess I wonder how much we should really be cheering the "little guy"? I love to see the RIAA writhing in agony on the ground, holding its testicles, but this isn't combat. Do we really want to support an "emotional distress" charge?

          It will be interesting to watch, regardless.

          • Re:Hooray Underdog! (Score:5, Informative)

            by ChromaticDragon ( 1034458 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @11:49AM (#24616349)

            Yes. David was a man of war.

            However, you make a grave mistake of taking one example out of its context in casting it in ours. David was more or less ordered (specifically challenged) to bring in foreskins as proof of body counts. Yes this would be rather gross today. But back then it was very likely a rather simple way to ensure a Jewish force was killing non-Jewish males. You know, they didn't have embedded journalists back then. Nor did they have the Geneva convention for rules of war and return of combatants' (unmolested) bodies.

            So yes, it was "savage" from our point of view. But it isn't appropriate to make it appear that David had a weird bloodthirsty foreskin fetish. There are much more reasonable criticisms you could correctly make of David if you wish to do so.

          • Re:Hooray Underdog! (Score:5, Informative)

            by ivantheshifty ( 1245510 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @01:29PM (#24617985)

            Do we really want to support an "emotional distress" charge?

            Why on earth wouldn't we want to support Ms. Andersen's countersuit? After all, the RIAA has structured its campaign to extort the populace while inflicting maximum emotional distress.

            And anyway, Tanya Andersen's not claiming emotional distress; she's claiming civil conspiracy, wrongful initiation of civil proceedings, abuse of process, negligence, and seeking an injunction.

            If she can get that injunction, that's a bigger victory than anything we've ever dreamed of.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by sohp ( 22984 )

        BRICK TO THE JUNK!

  • Abuse of Process (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ozric ( 30691 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:35AM (#24613357)

    I think that could be a fitting charge as well.

    • Re:Abuse of Process (Score:5, Informative)

      by Maelwryth ( 982896 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:21AM (#24613765) Homepage Journal
      I think she has beaten you to it.
      Third claim for relief: Abuse of legal process
      From the document [ilrweb.com]; "8.18 As detailed above and herein, the RIAA and the Record Companies pursued litigation against Plaintiff, and many processes attendant to that litigation (including the filing of an initial information-farming "John" and "Jane Doe" action to obtain subpoena power), not for purposes of protecting or vindicating the copyrights purportedly at issue, but instead for the primary unlawful purpose of intimidating Plaintiff and the general public in order to maintain and preserve as long as possible their monopolistic control over the world's market for the distribution of sound recordings."
      IANAL though, so maybe I have it all wrong.
  • Reported Elsewhere (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ilovegeorgebush ( 923173 ) * on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:36AM (#24613361) Homepage
    Torrentfreak.com also has a write-up of this: http://torrentfreak.com/riaa-pays-up-in-anderson-case-080814/ [torrentfreak.com] - [potentially NSFW link]

    Interesting bits to note:

    It is encouraging to finally hear that last night, the RIAA and the member companies that were involved in the case finally paid the fees (they refused first), putting an end to this protracted legal wrangling. The amount paid was not, however, $107,834 but a figure of $107,951 â" a figure which takes into account interest accrued due to delay.
    [snip]
    So, with Thomas looking to head to a mistrial, making the $222,000 judgment null and void, the two largest decisions in the RIAA's 'war on downloading' have been against them. In both cases the RIAA admitted it was wrong, and ordered to pay the fees.

  • class action (Score:5, Interesting)

    by pha7boy ( 1242512 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:41AM (#24613389)
    oh, this has the making of a beautiful class action suit against RIAA and the record companies. Can you imagine the beautiful, beautiful damanges?
    • by Shakrai ( 717556 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:59AM (#24613523) Journal

      oh, this has the making of a beautiful class action suit against RIAA and the record companies. Can you imagine the beautiful, beautiful damanges?

      *looks into crystal ball*..... I envision millions of dollars in legal fees for the lawyers representing the class and free iTunes download credits for the class members

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Beorytis ( 1014777 )

        *looks into crystal ball*..... I envision millions of dollars in legal fees for the lawyers representing the class and free iTunes download credits for the class members

        Sounds about right, and how many of those free download credits will be expended on music by independent artists who aren't even affiliated with RIAA?

    • Re:class action (Score:5, Insightful)

      by homer_s ( 799572 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:27AM (#24613841)
      oh, this has the making of a beautiful class action suit against RIAA

      And then we'll hear all about how "the system works".

      I'm surprised that no one here blames the legal system that enables the likes of the RIAA - if the system is setup in such a way that some bully can take advantage of people, they eventually will.
      • Re:class action (Score:5, Insightful)

        by NewYorkCountryLawyer ( 912032 ) * <ray@@@beckermanlegal...com> on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:37AM (#24613983) Homepage Journal

        oh, this has the making of a beautiful class action suit against RIAA

        And then we'll hear all about how "the system works". I'm surprised that no one here blames the legal system that enables the likes of the RIAA - if the system is setup in such a way that some bully can take advantage of people, they eventually will.

        You are being unfair. I spent an awful lot of time I didn't have writing an article about how the legal system has not been 'working' well on these cases [blogspot.com] and what needs to be done to make it a more level playing field. And most Slashdotters who have posted on the RIAA cases have been of the view that the system 'does not work'.

        • Re:class action (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Speare ( 84249 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:55AM (#24614253) Homepage Journal

          NYCL, I completely agree with you that "the system does not work" but I think the person who made comment you're replying was taking a long view. In the grand scheme of things, if the judges listen to your rational disassembly of RIAA's methods, and shift the pendulum back even a smidge toward sanity, then there are those who will claim "see, the system works, it's self-correcting" and ignore the dust-up. Nevermind that the pendulum should never have swung in RIAA's favor, nevermind that many Tonya Andersons were legally abused for many years for no good reason; they will just say it's how the system works.

          I see your cause as something akin to a civil version of The Innocence Project; you can hardly say "the system works" when some backwater judges and prosecutors ignore exculpatory evidence and men are incarcerated or put to death on the flimsiest of hearsay and innuendo. But because some people are ultimately let out of prison after decades of pain and suffering, the Death Penalty advocates (those few who will even acknowledge that a mistake might possibly happen in a court of law) will say, "See? The system works."

          • the "system" (Score:3, Insightful)

            by mccabem ( 44513 )

            In the "grand scheme of things" you mention, we all (in the US) operate under a very elaborate regime of exploitation fondly known as capitalism. (Pick your favorite scheme - they all amount to one form or another of exploitation.) Fact.

            People decided that an organized way of dealing with this (i.e courts) was preferable to the alternative - which is pretty much to not deal with it.

            The "grand scheme" and the court system are both full of people like you and me, who are in no way perfect. Ergo, you will

  • Tell me... (Score:4, Funny)

    by coobert ( 1138959 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:42AM (#24613401)
    Tell me, Ms. Anderson... what good is a counterclaim... if you're unable to speak?
  • by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:49AM (#24613445)

    Monetary damages against corporations will never be enough. Since they are fictitious legal persons we need the equivalent of prison time for them. In the information age it's perfectly possible to 'lock up' a company, suspending their trading and seizing all assets for 60 days would REALLY HURT.

    It may even collapse the company. Well, if they can't take the heat they shouldn't be doing the crime. This is the only way to give society and the courts that represent us any teeth against corporations.

    Vote for corporate jail time.

    • by The Only Druid ( 587299 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @08:57AM (#24613515)

      Monetary damages against corporations will never be enough. Since they are fictitious legal persons we need the equivalent of prison time for them. In the information age it's perfectly possible to 'lock up' a company, suspending their trading and seizing all assets for 60 days would REALLY HURT.

      It may even collapse the company. Well, if they can't take the heat they shouldn't be doing the crime. This is the only way to give society and the courts that represent us any teeth against corporations.

      Vote for corporate jail time.

      Since what they've done here isn't a crime, why are you mentioning imprisonment at all? The worst thing they've done here is a civil tort, and the only remedy available to anyone for civil torts are civil damages, i.e. generally monetary damages.

      If you're suggesting we create a special sort of damages schedule for corporations vs. normal persons, you've clearly not thought your cunning plan through.

      • by PakProtector ( 115173 ) <cevkiv@NOspAm.gmail.com> on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:03AM (#24613561) Journal

        Extortion is a crime. Collusion and Conspiracy to Commit Extortion are crimes. This is where the RICO Act being enforced would be appropriate.

        • by cushdan ( 949520 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:37AM (#24613987)
          RICO...I learned about that in the Dark Knight.
          I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I think it involves Batman throwing them off a fire escape. Proceed.
        • by The Only Druid ( 587299 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:50AM (#24614177)
          I'm not aware of anyone actually having accussed the RIAA of extortion (or the related offenses), but I could be mistaken. Here, however, she's specifically accusing them of a civil offense, not a criminal one. Perhaps I should have spoken more explicitly.

          In direct response to your idea: if, hypothetically, the RIAA is found to have either extorted or attempted to extort (including conspiracy) then the individuals who did so can be personally found guilty and imprisoned. Unless you can show that the company possessed the mental state required for the crime - which is conceptually impossible, absent extremely odd circumstances - you're not going to be able to demonstrate the elements of the offense.
          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            I think you should read a book called "Gangs of America". http://books.google.com/books?id=WHD402m6ZVwC [google.com]
      • by dkleinsc ( 563838 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @10:47AM (#24615269) Homepage

        Actually, if you read some of what NewYorkCountryLawyer's written on the subject, RIAA attorneys have gotten close to contempt citations, disbarment, etc. on several occasions. My understanding is that contempt of court is a criminal charge (although usually handled via fines).

    • by Overzeetop ( 214511 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @10:26AM (#24614875) Journal

      I say monetary damages are appropriate. Let's see, Mrs. Anderson was up against, what, 5 to 6 years of annual gross income? 5 to 6 years of gross income for Atlantic should be sufficient and appropriate. :-)

  • by ratbag ( 65209 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:01AM (#24613553)

    I haven't RTFAs (or not all of them anyway - have you?). But I'm struggling to see why she is described as "innocent, disabled". Does the validity of the case or the settlement depend on her being disabled?

    • I haven't RTFAs (or not all of them anyway - have you?). But I'm struggling to see why she is described as "innocent, disabled". Does the validity of the case or the settlement depend on her being disabled?

      Personally, I think it makes it a bit more disgusting that the completely innocent person you are torturing over a frivolous, nonexistent, totally unnecessary, case, happens to be a disabled single mother of a small child whose sole income is Social Security Disability. Here [blogspot.com]'s some background.

      There seem to be a few people who don't think it should matter at all. Those aren't my kind of people. I think people should have a heart.

      • by ratbag ( 65209 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:29AM (#24613859)

        People certainly should have a heart. I think you're reading rather a lot into my question, though.

        The facts of the case do not in any way hinge on the defendant being disabled, or a single mother or on Social Security. Why raise any of these issues in a news summary? "Person begins to get redress for 'frivolous, nonexistent, totally unnecessary, case'" would do. A person's disability (or colour, or religion, or income, or favourite football team) doesn't need to be brought into the equation unless it's relevant (maybe if she was deaf it would add an extra layer).

        • People certainly should have a heart. I think you're reading rather a lot into my question, though. The facts of the case do not in any way hinge on the defendant being disabled, or a single mother or on Social Security. Why raise any of these issues in a news summary?

          Because it says something important about the rat bastards that the RIAA has dredged up to handle these cases for them.

          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by ratbag ( 65209 )

            We all have a pretty clear picture of the RIAA's moral standing already. So again, why drag this woman's disability into a news summary? Has she made it a central platform of her defence?

            • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

              We all have a pretty clear picture of the RIAA's moral standing already.

              lots might have, but that doesn't mean everyone who reads this particular story is aware of the depths to which they are prepared to stoop.

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by ratbag ( 65209 )

            Notwithstanding my criticism of the story summary, I admire your legal work in this area.

          • by Morgaine ( 4316 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @10:50AM (#24615329)

            > What does her disability have to do with this?

            Because it says something important about the rat bastards that the RIAA has dredged up to handle these cases for them.

            Ray, although what you say is true, it should be your 3rd answer, not your first. Here are the first two:

            1) Because the defendant's precarious personal situation directly determines the direct damages suffered by the defendant.

            2) Because the RIAA campaign of intimidation and extortion relies on the weakness of their targets making them settle under pressure.

            These two points are much more important than the fact that the RIAA lawyers are rat bastards. 1) and 2) support the case directly.

            Keep on plugging away at them, Ray. They must suffer personally and professionally for this, not just in the form of business losses.

        • by Animaether ( 411575 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @10:46AM (#24615243) Journal

          "The facts of the case do not in any way hinge on the defendant...
          - being disabled
          - a single mother
          - on Social Security."

          Really? If you're on Social Security, you probably don't have a particularly big income. If you have a child, a chunk of it will go to that child. If you're disabled, you'll probably have additional expenses for that as well. Granted, she may be compensated for the child / disabilities to some extent in terms of money, but how's that going to compensate for all the hours lost that could be spent with her child instead? I haven't checked what disabilities are in play here - but it seems reasonably likely to me that she will be forced to deal with her disabilities more often than without the case. Now you may claim that "that's life, life sucks", but I'd argue that the RIAA made her life suck in that regard.

          But let's take the heart out of it, and focus only on the money aspect and your statement "the case [does] not in any way hinge on"; if that were true, don't you think that there would be a greater portion of cases that would go to arbitration / court, rather than being settled? A great number of cases are settled not because the target knows they're guilty anyway (in which case, settling might be the wise thing to do - but I'll leave that for future cases on whether awarded damages to the RIAA are fitting to the 'crime'), but because the target simply does not have the resources (specifically: money) to bring a solid defense - mounting one leading to debts far greater than a settlement does.

      • by D Ninja ( 825055 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @10:03AM (#24614371)

        There seem to be a few people who don't think it should matter at all. Those aren't my kind of people. I think people should have a heart.

        I agree that people should have a heart, but the legal system needs to be blind. It shouldn't matter whether Ms. Andersen was a disabled mother of 20, or a wealthy oil magnate who has a drinking problem.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Kelbear ( 870538 )

          True to /. form I shall impart wisdom with a quote from a fictional source(yes I know).

          "Has Picard no respect for justice? Tasha asks, "What of justice for Wesley? Does he really deserve to die?" Riker commends the Edo's system of justice is probably better than any they once had, a testimony to their beautiful way of life, but adds that the Captain is also bound by the laws of the Prime Directive, which states he must protect his people from harm. The group is ready to beam out, but the alien force prevent

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by mccabem ( 44513 )

          You're absolutely incorrect. Everyone from law enforcement to judicial powers should be human and practice discretion within the full extent of the law. This is how the law is made to work in reality - one law for everyone goes only so far. Circumstances always weigh in. (Not to say they should predominate, but neither should they be ignored.)

          -Matt

          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by D Ninja ( 825055 )

            (Not to say they should predominate, but neither should they be ignored.)

            With that statement, it sounds like you agree with me. Any person should have the same rights to be heard in a court of law as any other person.

            I also agree with you that circumstances should way in, but only if it pertains to the case. The fact that Tanya Andersen was a single mother and had a disability does nothing for the case and has no bearing on the case. If Tanya Andersen had been a college grad with a high paying job, or a 90 year old, elderly grandmother, the case should have been the same.

            That

    • by R2.0 ( 532027 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:21AM (#24613775)

      It counts because her disability severely limited her economic means, and the RIAA tried to use this fact to bulldoze her into a settlement.

      It also counts because this is a war on 3 fronts - legal, political, and PR. Her disability has little to do with the legal case (except as mentioned above), but is hugely relevant to the PR war and possibly to the political war - picture this woman in front of a congressional committee, and even the Senator from Disney will be groveling to show how much he sympathizes with her.

      And if you don't believe it's a PR war too, why is this a favorite Slashdot topic.

    • by hyades1 ( 1149581 ) <hyades1@hotmail.com> on Friday August 15, 2008 @10:10AM (#24614479)

      "Does the validity of the case or the settlement depend on her being disabled?"

      Why, yes, as a matter of fact it does.

      The RIAA has been targeting people who are perceived as particularly poor and defenseless. They want people thinking, "My God, if they'll go after a five-year-old child for downloading one single song, they'll go crazy on me and my 50 songs." And they want to roll up a string of easy convictions and settlements. They know they can't actually prosecute more than the tiniest fraction of the cases, so the only hope they have of making a measurable impact on downloading is to intimidate people...especially the ones who might be inclined to download a single song from an otherwise-awful CD.

      They know if they go after a big player, they'll have a fight on their hands, and they certainly don't want that. A loss could set their cause back.

      Besides, they'd rather kick a puppy than a full-grown pit bull. That's because they're pricks.

    • by ElizabethGreene ( 1185405 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @10:19AM (#24614705)

      I'm struggling to see why she is described as "innocent, disabled". Does the validity of the case or the settlement depend on her being disabled?

      Because it evokes the mental image of a "big bad corporation" picking on a "helpless disabled woman". It is called "spin". Here is the same summary with a different "spin".

      The RIAA, a copyright defense group representing thousands of musicians and artists was shocked today by a judges decision to award over $100,000 to a person accused of pirating and distributing music illegally. In related news, the accused has filed a countersuit requesting huge additional damages from the artists' organization. An unnamed RIAA spokesperson was quoted as saying. "This was all a big misunderstanding. We represent the musicians that are losing millions to stolen music, and this settlement will come out of their pockets. In the end, that robs the paying music customer."

      Sounds a lot different. Says the same thing.

      -ellie

      Don't flame me bro, this is not defending the RIAA, just answering the question.

  • Here's to you, Ray! (Score:4, Informative)

    by sm62704 ( 957197 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:02AM (#24613557) Journal

    Wow, did I slip into a paralell universe or something? I'm hoisting a glass to the esteemed Mr. Beckerman tonight at JW's as I listen to a local band cover the Grateful Dead.

    I hope you can afford that new tie now, Ray ;)

    Whatever you're getting out of this, it isn't enough.

    • Hear, hear! /me raises a glass to Ray's honor.

      Ray, if you're ever in Sweden, drinks are on the house.

    • by sm62704 ( 957197 )

      Oops... I just RTFA (yes, uncharacteristic of me) and it appears that NYCL wasn't her lawyer?

    • by NewYorkCountryLawyer ( 912032 ) * <ray@@@beckermanlegal...com> on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:10AM (#24613663) Homepage Journal

      Wow, did I slip into a paralell universe or something? I'm hoisting a glass to the esteemed Mr. Beckerman tonight at JW's as I listen to a local band cover the Grateful Dead. I hope you can afford that new tie now, Ray ;) Whatever you're getting out of this, it isn't enough.

      Thanks for your kind thoughts, sm62704, but these well earned fees go to my esteemed brothers and sisters at Lybeck Murphy [lawyers.com] in Mercer Island, Washington. And I am hoisting a glass to them for their outstanding and courageous victory.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by garcia ( 6573 )

      ...as I listen to a local band cover the Grateful Dead.

      You know, for years I touted the Grateful Dead as a band that was a pioneer in allowing the free taping and trading of their shows. Jerry was wise beyond his years saying that once they were done with a show it didn't matter what the fans did with it. In the years since his death (it seems like yesterday when I got word on IRC) the remaining members of the band have tightened the restrictions on the trading of their shows and now places like archive.o

  • FYI (Score:5, Informative)

    by martin_henry ( 1032656 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:06AM (#24613605)
    Here are the documents pertaining to her counter-suit,
    Anderson v. Atlantic. [blogspot.com]

    One of the claims cites the RICO Act, which I can only imagine spells bad news for RIAA & mediasentry...
  • Movie (Score:5, Funny)

    by digitalderbs ( 718388 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:08AM (#24613637)
    Something tells me the movie industry won't get behind this story like they did for Erin Brockovich.
  • by Alwin Henseler ( 640539 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:34AM (#24613931)

    First, congrats to Ms.Andersen for making the RIAA pay for its mistake. But compensation of her legal costs does not count as proper compensation, for several reasons:

    • Not sure how this usually works, but if you hire a lawyer to defend yourself against such charges, isn't it up to you to pay that lawyer until compensation gives you a refund (which may take years)? Meaning: if you haven't got any money to spare, you can't mount a proper defense. If you take it out of a savings account, you're missing the (higher!) interest you would have had, had that money been kept there. Perhaps you might settle, out of fear that you can't keep paying your lawyer as long as needed. That alone tilts the playing field to the RIAA side.
    • If only the lawyers' fee is compensated, your time is regarded as either free, or worthless? (take your pick). That is ridiculous. Any time you spend on it could have been spent making money, quality time with friends/family, hobbies, going out, etc, etc. Regardless of how much you think your time is worth, forcing other people to waste their time (if your reasons are shown invalid) should cost money, period. Time is about the only thing you can't buy, no matter how rich you are. What if this had been a cancer patient with <3 months to live?
    • Then there's the distress caused, negative publicity surrounding her person, etc, all of which doesn't count as damage?

    For all these reasons, Ms.Andersen deserves a lot more compensation than just legal fees. It's too bad she has to start her own proceedings to get those. It would be better if that were automatic. Get proven wrong in a 'big corp vs. little guy' lawsuit, and be ordered to compensate legal fees plus an automatic percentage for related damages. Otherwise it's just too easy for corporations to bully on ordinary folks (like we see all the time).

  • (satire) In a related story, the RIAA will be increasing the charges assigned to people who pay to cover the cost of loosing to someof the people who fight back.(/satire)

    I just hope this isn't a joke that becomes reality. One of the basic problems with the whole system here is that it's out of balance. It's appropriate to be able to seek redress from someone who violates your copyright; but the amounts involved (the amounts the individuals are being required to pay when they loose) are out of proportion to

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by sm62704 ( 957197 )

      <paroody>
      II knoow yoou probbably doon't speeak Engglish nattively, buut thhe veerb "loooose" meeans "too seet frree". Soome tiimes aa misssspelling altters thhe meanning oof thhe senntence. Oftten iit iss juust aa typoo, buut yoou ussed thhe saame spelllling twiice.

      Iis thhis commment haard too reead? Weel, ssee?
      </paroody>

  • by dloyer ( 547728 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @09:43AM (#24614071)
    The entire civil legal industry is based on the fact that it costs far more to defend yourself against whatever the plaintiff claim (lie) than to pay what they ask. Plaintiffs are almost never forced to pay the legal fees of the defendant, unless the case is very public AND black and white. It is all a sham and a huge subsidy for sleazy attorneys that know how to work the system, often at the expense of an insurance company, but not always. I found this out the hard way when I made the mistake of selling my home to a sleazeball attorney. They can fuck with you based on the most flimsy of reasons and it costs them very little to ruin your life. The defense attorneys, that burn through their client's life savings by over billing and accomplishing nothing, but still make costly mistakes, are no better. "Justice" is only for the rich. Far worse than the money, is the stress, the fear that my children may not be able to attend college because of it. It should be a crime, but it never will. Who runs the court system? Judges, that are also attorneys. Who makes the laws? Elected attorneys.
  • this, because it is not a matter of debate. It is a matter of personal values.

    There are some people who feel that the suffering and hardship caused to these defendants is strictly irrelevant, and that it is irrelevant whether their ability to defend themselves is impaired by disability or poverty.

    As to those of you who feel this way I can only say this:

    1. You are not my kind of people.

    2. If you are lawyers, you are not my kind of lawyers, and in my opinion you are violating the Code of Professional Responsibility by exhibiting an indifference to the harm you cause.

    3. The phrase that 'justice is blind' does NOT mean that it is indifferent to the suffering of those it affects, or that little people can be squashed by the wealthy in court; it means that the justice system has an obligation to protect the poor and the defenseless from the predations of the wealthy and powerful in court.

    4. Those of you who are making these remarks about how Ms. Andersen's circumstances are irrelevant are probably the same people who love to dump on lawyers all the time. In point of fact, all good lawyers are compassionate, and will refrain from causing unnecessary harm to others with whom they come in contact. No good lawyer would have pursued the Tanya Andersen case.
  • by st33med ( 1318589 ) on Friday August 15, 2008 @02:21PM (#24618941)

    Her child was being researched by the RIAA. They would call about Ms. Anderson's daughter at work and at child's school, looking for her. Now, I am no parent, but, that would really scare me and fear for my child. As such, her mental state was suffering from these court cases, and she took leave from work and skipped court days sometimes.

    Pigs, the lot of the MAFIAA.

    Anderson has a lot of guts to stand up to them even after that. Cheers to her and her courage. Hope this helps put an end to the music and movie court cases.

IF I HAD A MINE SHAFT, I don't think I would just abandon it. There's got to be a better way. -- Jack Handley, The New Mexican, 1988.

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