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Liner Notes
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The
RIAA Music Downloading Controversy: Both Sides of the Record
By Darcie-Nicole Wicknick
Special to MusicBizAdvice.com
THE MUSIC DOWNLOADERS' POINT OF VIEW
Recently the RIAA brought suit against many companies, colleges, and individuals for
allowing their facilities and phone lines and hosts to be a party to music file-sharing.
Verizon, for example, was threatened with legal action if they didn't divulge specific
names of offenders. Verizon buckled.
According to an article on America Online, the RIAA is including a grandfather and
his preteen grandchildren in its class action suit. Is it right to sue twelve-year-olds
and 80-year-olds who don't know what the twelve-year-olds are doing? Probably not. One
80-year-old grandparent we spoke with for this article seemed to sum it up best: "I
don't even know how to turn the damned thing on!" Many grandparents innocently bought
the computer as a treat for when the "kids" come over. (Thanks, grandma…)
Still, a twelve-year-old may know how to USE the technology as well as an MIT grad student
but most likely doesn't understand the legal ramifications of doing so, much less the
economics of the recording industry. In such cases, outreach by the RIAA may be more
plausible.
A recent article by Andy Sullivan in Washington Times reports that a Washington,
D.C. DJ offered to pay one youngster's legal fees, and another offered to provide the girl
with "$2000 worth of Industry-sanctioned downloads." The article also states
that one online provider calls the RIAA "bullies" and challenges,"How can
some kid in a housing project come up with the money to pay the suit?"
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