David McNamee
02-23-2004, 09:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/35663.html' target='_blank'>http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/35663.html</a><br /><br /></div>The Register recently posted this story:<br /><br />"Michele Scimeca received a notice from the RIAA in December after her child used the Kazaa networks for a school project. She has countersued labels Sony, Universal and Motown by claiming that the demands for reimbursement of $150,000 per infringement falls foul of the 1970 Organized Crime and Control Act, better known as the RICO statue after Title IX of the Act: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute. "<br /><br />I have friends who are artists and performers. I do not support stealing people's work, and I've never ripped a CD that I didn't own. But, the intimidation tactics used by the RIAA have been downright disgusting. Instead of bullying children, the RIAA should focus their energies on making it easy and inexpensive to download legal digital content, and helping their member artists improve the quality of their product. Combine those two, and the RIAA would have nothing to ever truly fear from the likes of Kazaa.