RIAA Bears Its Nasty Green Fangs – Ensuing Bad Breath Kills Local Bass Player

For those of you who have shied away from downloading free music and other sorts of digital entertainment in the past few years due to the threat of the Gestapo RIAA’ s wrath descending upon you, be aware that you are still not safe from their bloody, wretched maw.The RIAA has decided that the current statutory damages allowed under copyright law, are not strict enough and it is trying to push a fine of $1.5 million for every CD that is downloaded. This new fine was added to a US House committee bill called the PRO-IP Act.

This, the latest evil doctrine to be proposed by the RIAA, is being met with plenty of criticism especially from Google’s copyright lawyer William Patry who has stated that this bill is “[the most] outrageously gluttonous IP bill ever introduced in the US.”

With the music industry pushing for “more rights, longer terms of protection, draconian criminal provisions, and civil damages that bear no resemblance to the damages suffered”, the RIAA is not likely to get more moolah than what they are already getting. The current fines are not only just plain obnoxious and uncalled for, the RIAA is now being seen as nothing more than a money hungry beast hell-bent on squeezing as much money out of the consumer as inhumanly possible. Right now, the current fine is $9,000 per song, and each track costs less than a dollar – so what this means is that if you buy the latest Hanson song from iTunes, then convert the protected Mp4 into an MP3 and burn it to disc so you can listen to it in your car, you could be fined nine grand – ergo that crap song now cost you $9,001 plus incurring legal fees and court costs.

Thank the gods that the RIAA was not pushing crap like this back in the 70’s and 80’s when everyone was using cassette tapes to record their latest Bad Company or Def Leppard album. Just think of the legal ramifications if the RIAA knew about all the people recording songs off the radio even. It is high time these self-serving jerks got off our back – yes, it illegal to download free stuff that you should honestly be paying for – but once you purchase something, it is yours to do with as you please. If you want to burn it to disc to take it on the road you should be allowed to do so. If you want to make a mixed CD for your significant other for V-Day you should be able to do so. If you want to be able to play your latest game on both your PC and your laptop, you should be able to. It is no wonder that the recording industry and some gaming companies are in such dire straits – if you don’t “legally” own the material you purchase why the hell even bother buying it in the first place.

Source: Fudzilla