Recording industry warns file swappers via IM
By Joris Evers, IDG News Service
April 30, 2003 7:30 am
Expanding its battle against online piracy, the recording industry is using the instant messaging feature in file-swapping software to tell users that sharing copyright protected music is illegal.

Recording industry groups, including the Recording Industry Association of America Inc. (RIAA), the American Federation of Musicians and the Christian Music Trade Association, started sending long messages headlined "COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT WARNING" on Tuesday, according to an RIAA statement.


COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT WARNING:

It appears that you are offering copyrighted music to others from your computer. Distributing or downloading copyrighted music on the Internet without permission from the copyright owner is ILLEGAL. It hurts songwriters who create and musicians who perform the music you love, and all the other people who bring you music.

When you break the law, you risk legal penalties. There is a simple way to avoid that risk: DON'T STEAL MUSIC, either by offering it to others to copy or downloading it on a "file-sharing" system like this.

When you offer music on these systems, you are not anonymous and you can easily be identified. You also may have unlocked and exposed your computer and your private files to anyone on the Internet. Don't take these chances. Disable the share feature or uninstall your "file-sharing" software.

This warning comes from artists, songwriters, musicians, music publishers, record labels and hundreds of thousands of people who work at creating and distributing the music you enjoy. We are unable to receive direct replies to this message.

This came to my work email -- I work for a Michigan University. It seems that four people from here are being sued by the RIAA -- it made it into Entertaiment Weekly.

applekisses said:

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Allow me to respond please...

IceNine said:

Do you have any proof of that that will be held valid in court?


When it is done without permission, yes then it is illegal. however, when done with permission, it is perfectly legal. As it stands there are lots of files being shared with permission from the copyrightowners.


Oh... you mean it hurts the multinational shareholders whose companies screw artists out of every royalty the musiclover pays for? Or those CEO's who walk away with big bonuses and golden handshakes when they haved fucked up their business with promoting crap?


what wisdom. did you by chance break any privacy laws perhabs by finding out what I was downloading?


there is also a simple way of avoiding illegal downloads: Don't screw consumers with overpriced CD's carrying one good song and the rest crap.


as any lawyer can tell you: "offering music to others to copy or downloading it on a "file-sharing" system" is not the same as stealing music.


But now without my permission.

so? what business is that of yours?


Thanks for the advice, but no thanks. I can still offer and download files in a legal fashion.


Where are their names?

As it stands I know of a lot of artists who are sure that file-sharing improves their sales of recordings and concert tickets. improve your own bad business first and then you can blame others when you are going bankrupt, mkay?

PS
When are you FINALLY going to come with a reasonably priced, user-friendly, legal alternative to file-sharing?
It might do you good.

[This message was edited Wed Apr 30 7:56:12 PDT 2003 by huggy]
[This message was edited Wed Apr 30 9:41:55 PDT 2003 by huggy]

forgive my ignorance but does the RIAA have any juristiction outside US territory?.Surely this can't bother all filesharing sites or users?

RIAA can get help from IFPI and others outside the USA.
[This message was edited Wed Apr 30 9:46:43 PDT 2003 by huggy]

A message to the RIAA...


"Fuck You!"

Tom said:

amen brother

I'm downloading MP3's from KazaLite as we speak so this is for the RIAA...





Huggy - I agree with you 100%! Well spoken.

FirstAvenue said:

double that. like they're gonna stop folks from downloadin...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Right... people should stop stealing because it is wrong, not because the RIAA tells them to.

IceNine said:

But it is not stealing, it is copying. You just copied their piece of text which is also copyrighted. Are you a thief now? No, of course not, you just copied a copyrighted piece of work without permission of the copyrightowner. Illegal, but not stealing.

huggy said:

WRONG.

Was that piece of text a work for hire or a piece of literature offered for sale? Did the posting of that piece of information interfere with commerce or the livelihood of anyone associated with the production of the warning?

huggy said:

In a world where we can't find very public figures like Sadaam and Bin Laden (even though millions have been offered in rewards), they can find the casual music downloader to prosecute and hang out to dry...

IceNine said:

Sorry man, but I do know what I am talking about. Copyright is the exclusive right to prohibit the copying and publishing of a work, whether that is a text or music, that doesn't matter.

The question whether a certain reproduction is permitted by law without permission of the copyrightowner is decided by statutory exemptions. There are some exceptions to the rule, like fair use. Quotations of a text are permitted by law for example and fall under the fair use provision. That is not what you did however.

..
exclusive edit
[This message was edited Thu May 1 13:50:22 PDT 2003 by huggy]

huggy said:

I would suspect that the RIAA did not file for copyright on that quote, whereas ALL musical artists copyright their material.

huggy said:

HMMM

THEN WHAT DO "UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OF THIS RECORDING IS PROHIBITED" MEAN

CAUSE THAT WHAT IT SAY ON MY WHITE STRIPE CD

IceNine said:

I am again sorry to dissapoint, but copyright exist from the moment of creation since the 1978 Copyright Act. Before it was mandatory to register a copyright in the US Copyright office in order to get protection. It is however still highly recomandable to do so, for example in court it serves as clear proof.
Most musicans register, but not all artists register their copyright in the US copyright office. Since it is not a condition anymore for protection, and you didn't quote them, but copied the entire text, it is technically an act of infringement. Copyright is a bitch
But I wouldn't worry about it; billions of infringements take place each day on the internet and even the RIAA wouldn't be so crazy as to file a suit over this...

huggy said:

POOK REPLY WITH QUOTE!

POOK BREAK COPYRIGHT LAW!

OH YEAH!

If the RIAA really believes that this oh-so-scary "warning" is gonna stop file-sharing,they need to have their heads examined.

IceNine said:

I agree with that. Any time I have heard donloaded music the audio is shitty -- I like traditional CD's.