R.I.A.A. has been pursuing single moms and college kids with the vigor of the wily coyote chasing road runner. The result? Road Runner lives! Now, they are changing tact. Out with the lawsuits and in with “graduated response.” Will it work?
The music industry’s brute – R.I.A.A – has decided to act in a civilized manner. It has stopped “making an example of” single moms and kids in college dorms who download music from P2P networks by suing them for all they have got. The theory: their example will deter others!
Well, the success of the death penalty in completely stopping murders, the immense success of the “war on drugs” in completely eradicating the scourge of drug abuse, and of course the complete and shameful demise of terrorism thanks to the “war on terror” has given ample reason to the R.I.A.A that it is on track to, as – Benedict Arnold – Cheney would describe it “meeting its objectives!!”
As we all know, “illegal” music downloading is thriving, having morphed with every move to quash it. So one is not clear on the objectives of the R.I.A.A or they have not been met!
It is always good to see and hear about people who can think beyond their nose.
First, copyright infringement is a serious issue – authors/creators do have a right to make money off their content. However, we must understand what these rights are, how they have been infringed upon and then take action. Willy nilly bushwhacking things is a stupid idea – has been and always will be.
Second, the only parties that win in a lawsuit are the lawyers. Period.
Third, the solution R.I.A.A. has found – apparently, in collaboration with NY attorney general Andew Cuomo – is as stupid as the lawsuit idea. R.I.A.A. will inform ISPs of illegal music download by their customers and then ISP will in turn nudge – read pressure – their customer to cease and desist. The ISP’s incentive in doing anything? One word: bandwidth.
The underlying theory this time is that a customer who is made aware that their downloading activity is being monitored is less likely to continue with it. Who came up with this gem? Why a UK based lawfirm of course; they have a study to prove it!
If surveys were horses charlatans would ride. Conduct this same study AFTER R.I.A.A’s recent surrender announcement and see the change in behavior!
We eagerly await R.I.A.A. to come to its senses and commission a study on:
- Why people download music?
- How to make money from music?
The answer, as always, lies in the business model. It is time the music industry changed its.
