Posts tagged Riaa at Switched

Posts with tag riaa

Icy Radio Records Radio Streams to MP3

by Tim Stevens, posted Nov 24th 2008 at 5:01PM

We're big fans of Internet radio here at Switched, keeping our speakers pumping while we keep blogging all the day long. So, it's with a bit of trepidation that we bring you news from Download Squad on a new bit of software that, on one hand makes it easy to stream hundreds of those choice radio streams, but on the other might just help to bring down the industry by letting you quickly and easily record tunes.

We've reported before on how the RIAA has managed to push much higher fees through, going into effect in 2010 and potentially shutting down streaming of non-royalty-free music altogether. This increase in fees was partly due to a belief that people are recording and sharing tunes from Internet streams, and while Icy Radio isn't the first to make it possible, it does make it awfully easy. Download Squad gives the free, PC-only app high marks, but if you value the continued lifespan of Internet Radio as we do, please use responsibly. [From: Download Squad]

Comic Book Does the RIAA's Bidding

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 22nd 2008 at 4:57PM

Public Service Announcements in the medium of comics regarding the dangers of... well whatever the popular perils of the time are, have been hoisting well-intentioned gibberish on kids for generations. PSA comics have touched on everything from drugs, to smoking, to famine, and land mines.

The latest in a long heritage of comics urging you to do right comes without any super heroes or association with an established comic outlet like Marvel or DC. 'Justice Case Files' (really...) is an in-house effort from the National Center for State Courts, which we can only assume is a front for the RIAA, the most dastardly group of super villains to ever grace the pages of a comic book.

This disgrace to the label of propaganda bulges with misinformation so dense you'd have to bushwhack your way through its pages to find even a kernel of truth.

Issue one centers around Megan, a student with a file sharing addiction that puts her freedom and scholarship (seriously? jail time isn't motivation enough?) at risk. Megan is charged with Criminal Copyright Infringement by her fictional city government and faces charges at the state level that could net her a total of $25,000 in fines and 2 years in prison. Of course, in real life Criminal Copyright Infringement involves the selling of copyrighted materials, not peer-to-peer file sharing, and CCI is prosecuted by the federal government not local courts, but who's paying attention? Apparently, not the legal non-profit handing out this mumbo-jumbo.

You can download the entire comic in PDF form here, or for those with a taste for the ironic, you can search Limewire and BitTorrent. [From: Wired via: Boing Boing]

'Dancing Baby' Lawsuit Turns Tables on Music Industry

by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 21st 2008 at 12:29PM

It's a sad state of affairs for the music industry these days. It's making far more news for its idiotic statements and unnecessarily huge lawsuits than for discovering and nurturing fresh new talent. This time, though, it's the industry that's on the receiving end of a lawsuit, being taken to court by a mother whose video was removed from YouTube by Universal Music Corp because of the song playing in the background.

Stephanie Lenz of Gallitzin, Pa. posted a 30-second clip of her baby dancing to 'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince, which can be heard playing in the background of the video -- turn your speakers up and listen closely if you want to identify the track yourself. Universal claimed the video violates copyright and YouTube removed the vid, but Lenz (and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)) are fighting back, claiming the background music is fair use. The lawsuit is now pending and, as you can see above, the video is back on YouTube, for the moment. We'll be following this one closely. [From: NewsVine]

Yahoo! Offers Refunds to Music Store Customers

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 31st 2008 at 1:31PM

If you woke up this morning worried about what Yahoo! is planning to do for its Music Store customers who are about to be left in the lurch with its DRM server shut-down, have no fear. Yahoo! has announced that it will offer customers coupons or refunds for those songs you bought. Basically, you'll get a coupon that you can use at RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody download service. Their songs, of course, are DRM-free. For those of you who have "serious problems with this arrangement" (their words, not ours), refunds will be available. The servers go down on September 30, so start combing your collections, kids.

Music Industry Claims Throwing Away Free CDs is Illegal

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 10:16AM

Universal Music Group has filed a rather ... interesting legal brief in a case against a man accused of re-selling promotional CDs he legally purchased used at a record shop. UMG has claimed that not only was the man breaking the law by selling the albums, even the act of throwing them in the trash would have been committing music piracy.

The industry seems to be hoping to change the way you buy your music, so that if you purchase a CD you're not buying anything but a bit of plastic. The music on there isn't actually yours and, should you get tired of it, you don't have the right to resell it. This is traditionally known as the first-sale doctrine and is the reason why selling used books, CDs, and movies is legal. So is giving away those items -- for now.

Right now UMG's legal filing covers only promotional CDs, those given out for free to DJs and such, and it remains to be seen whether they'll even have any success making this argument. So, it's not the end of the used music store just yet. However, don't forget that when "buying" music files from stores like iTunes you're actually just licensing it, having sworn away your right to resell anything you download. So before you get too angry at UMG remember that you're embracing this sort of licensing elsewhere!

From TechDirt

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Japanese Internet Providers to Ban File Sharers

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 17th 2008 at 9:10AM

Debates are raging around the world regarding exactly what role Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, should have when it comes to the illegal swapping of music or movie files. In the U.S., Comcast has already taken steps to block those who would share files, while Verizon has made it clear that it has no intentions to monitor those it provides service to. In Japan, though, the debates are over, as the country's four ISPs have decided to start using software to find, monitor, and potentially disconnect file sharers.

According to the Yomiuri Shinbun newspaper, ISPs have indicated that anyone caught sharing files will be given a warning, upon first offense. Future detections will result in file sharers being temporarily disconnected from their Web access. Those who share files illegally after repeated warnings will lose their Internet connection permanently.

What's unclear is just just many offenses it will take to lose one's license to surf, and whether the ISPs will be punishing only illegal file sharing over peer-to-peer networks or all file sharing.

Japanese surfers will find out next month when the new plan goes into action.

From TechCrunch

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Leaked RIAA Training Video Links Piracy to Drugs and Terrorism

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Feb 22nd 2008 at 9:15AM

Well it's official: the RIAA has lost its collective mind. Some intrepid muckrakers have gotten their hands on a training video from the record industry group and the contents are both hilarious and terrifying.

According to the video, music piracy affects quality of life in communities and is a 'gateway crime.' Music piracy can lead investigators to drug cartels, illegal guns, and of course, terrorist organizations (what doesn't these days). And apparently music pirates have backgrounds of more serious offenses, such as robbery and murder. The RIAA and its ilk are often guilty of overstating their case, but this training video goes much further than any previous insinuations about music piracy's connections to larger crimes.

So now you know that the RIAA thinks you're a drug dealing, homicidal, terrorist. Just stay put and wait for the SWAT team.

From Gizmodo

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Record Industry Wants Anti-Virus Software to Scan for Pirated Files

by Tim Stevens, posted Feb 8th 2008 at 9:01AM

RIAA Wants Anti-Virus Software to Find Illegal Files, Too

The Recording Industry Association of America really, really wants to stop people from downloading illegal music. Over the years it has supported crippling copy protection that would leave your music files unplayable should you get a new computer, has stated that ripping your own CDs to your own MP3 player is illegal, and showed its commitment by hitting a single mother for a $220,000 fine for sharing two-dozen songs online. Now the RIAA wants unfettered access to the contents of your computer as part of a virus scan.

The software, which would either be part of anti-viral scanners or even something your ISP might require you to install, would run through your files on a regular basis and ensure that they are, indeed, your files. Presumably if it found something that wasn't yours it would alert the authorities and you'd be due for a summons.

This raises the question of just how the RIAA would be sure that the files it scans are indeed yours. Especially given those statements that ripping CDs is illegal, would it be flagging every iTunes or Windows Media Player track that didn't have DRM on it? It's a frightening concept even for those who do not illegally download music and one that we at least hope never sees the light of day.

From Fark and Gizmodo

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RIAA Web Site Hacked

by Tim Stevens, posted Jan 22nd 2008 at 12:10PM

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) hasn't made itself very popular over the past few years. Whether it's suing single mothers for a quarter-million dollars for sharing some songs online or telling you that ripping the CDs you purchased is illegal, the RIAA has made a lot of enemies over the past digital-music decade. Many people would like to see it go down. And down is just where the RIAA's site went over the weekend, an apparent victim of a security breach.

The site fell to a so-called SQL injection attack, where attackers put malicious text into search fields to gain access to databases. It's about the simplest form of Web site attack, requiring no special tools and not a lot of knowledge, a situation that doesn't say much for the state of the RIAA's site in the first place. Thankfully, SQL injection attacks impact only websites and not the people who visit them, so you at least don't have to worry.

In this case the attackers wiped out all of the site's text over the weekend, which has since been restored ... hopefully with a few more security checks thrown in there for good measure.

From BetaNews

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RIAA Claims Ripping CDs for Personal Use is Illegal

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 11th 2007 at 6:50PM

RIAA Claims Ripping CDs for Personal Use Illegal

Just as it seemed as though the record industry was starting to figure this whole thing out, here it goes and does something that makes us at the Switched offices shake our heads. The RIAA has filed a brief in an Arizona U.S. District Court against Jeffrey and Pamela Howell, an average Joe and Jane couple who have ripped their CD collection to MP3s for easy sharing throughout their home and -- presumably -- iPods. The brief claims that ripping CDs to MP3s is a violation of copyright laws and the fair use doctrine.

The audacity of the RIAA's claim wouldn't be too surprising, given its penchant for overzealous attacks of digital media, if it weren't in direct contradiction of arguments made by RIAA lawyers in a case filed in 2005. In the case, MGM Vs. Grokster, representation from the RIAA explicitly said that making digital copies of music for personal use was protected.

Atlantic Vs. Howell is scheduled to have its first hearing on January 24. Here's hoping that this case gets tossed out, because if the courts find in favor of Atlantic, it will place all of us with digital audio devices on the RIAA's hit list.

[Addendum: Looks like the RIAA has also included language about the fact that the Howells put their files on file sharing networks, which could give the RIAA a leg to stand on here. That said, this case remains interesting due to the language the RIAA is including regarding one's rights to rip his own CDs.]

From Boing Boing

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