I Laughed so hard.

Marcus Aurelius: The class action seeks the option of statutory damages for each infringement. At $20,000 per infringement, potential liability exceeds $60 billion

If it's good enough for ordinary citizens, it's good enough for the record labels.

It's only $20k in Canada? Wow.

I mean stateside, the liability for amputating the wrong limb in surgery is less than the liability for pirating three songs (around $250k).

I hope the labels get their asses handed to them. It's an industry build on piracy, run by pirates, who just sue other pirates in the name of piracy.

Enfenestrate: El Chode: I hope the labels get their asses handed to them.

Let's not be hasty. If things go badly enough they might not have enough funds to release the next Taylor Swift album. That would be a dark day indeed.

More like Nickelback, this is Canada after all.

In other words, take them all down.

I didn't read much of the article because I read it on Michael Geist's blog (new window) earlier today. I guess I should have thought of submitting it. If you're Canadian and interested at all in this read some of his stuff.

Mobkey: Enfenestrate: El Chode: I hope the labels get their asses handed to them.

Let's not be hasty. If things go badly enough they might not have enough funds to release the next Taylor Swift album. That would be a dark day indeed.

More like Nickelback, this is Canada after all.

In other words, take them all down.


Taylor Swift doesn't need an album. If the industry can't recognize that the MP3 killed the necessity to bundle songs into albums for pop stars, then they deserve to go down. Artists that make albums will still make albums, but there's no need to spend the money to produce 15 songs to fill an album to sell 2 singles, then complain you're not making profits, when you can just cut the crap and produce the two singles.

Mobkey: I didn't read much of the article because I read it on Michael Geist's blog (new window) earlier today. I guess I should have thought of submitting it. If you're Canadian and interested at all in this read some of his stuff.

You know what amuses me the most? If the industry didn't lobby so hard to extend copyrights to life+(infinity - 1 day), they wouldn't be facing this suit today.

Weaver95: slayer199: bawhahahahahahaha.

That's awesome...I hope the record labels lose and pay dearly.

they'll fight it for years, and then when they lose - they'll refuse to pay up.

I foresee a spike in lawsuits stateside to help pay for the cost of litigation.

Weaver95: i'm wondering if the canadian branch of RIAA will put a hit out on the guys who brought the class action lawsuit....

It's the polite thing to do.

El Chode: Mobkey: I didn't read much of the article because I read it on Michael Geist's blog (new window) earlier today. I guess I should have thought of submitting it. If you're Canadian and interested at all in this read some of his stuff.

You know what amuses me the most? If the industry didn't lobby so hard to extend copyrights to life+(infinity - 1 day), they wouldn't be facing this suit today.

Karmic retribution?

Weaver95: El Chode: Weaver95: i'm wondering if the canadian branch of RIAA will put a hit out on the guys who brought the class action lawsuit....

It's the polite thing to do.

i'm serious - I wouldn't put it past some of those guys. blackmail, bribery, extortion, perjury...they've done all that and more. actually murdering the opposition isn't out of the question.

They'll have to go all Keyser Soze here. They'll have to kill relatives, lawyers, their friends, the people they did business with. Some of these people might have 16-20 "heirs" to go through.

SchlingFocker: Their payment will be in the form of roughly 7 billion vouchers good for half off the purchase of a new CD.

That would work, if they were being sued by lawyers seeking customer redress. This is by artists / artists families against the labels. Personally I think the copyright extension in the US (and presumably in Canada) was ridiculous, but biting the labels back with it is total karmic retribution.

Mobkey: I didn't read much of the article because I read it on Michael Geist's blog (new window) earlier today. I guess I should have thought of submitting it. If you're Canadian and interested at all in this read some of his stuff.

Some people did submit it with that URL. I guess I just got lucky after finding a different link.

inglixthemad: That would work, if they were being sued by lawyers seeking customer redress. This is by artists / artists families against the labels. Personally I think the copyright extension in the US (and presumably in Canada) was ridiculous, but biting the labels back with it is total karmic retribution.

We're all signatories to various international treaties. What the "big copyright" did here is jump from country to country asking them to extend it, starting in Germany. Germany extends it, they go to the EU. The EU extends it they got to the US. By now, some time has passed, so they go back to the EU to say "look, the US is longer than you, catch up" and then they keep hopping around and around doing this crap. Currently there are slight discrepencies between nations, such as the UK not extending sound recording rights past 50 years (remember the "British Invasion" almost 50 years ago?) so there's going to be a lot of fun stuff on the horizon.

But by and large what's good here is good there, unless Quebec adopted French moral rights.

Weaver95: El Chode: Weaver95: i'm wondering if the canadian branch of RIAA will put a hit out on the guys who brought the class action lawsuit....

It's the polite thing to do.

i'm serious - I wouldn't put it past some of those guys. blackmail, bribery, extortion, perjury...they've done all that and more. actually murdering the opposition isn't out of the question.

You mean using tried and true military tactics on the civilians with the backing of the federal government isn't enough for them?

Step 1: Define your enemy in absolute terms (they're pirates)
Step 2: Spread misinformation about your enemy (piracy costs us 500,000 jobs per year)
Step 3: Seek governmental support for your fleet against their fleet for using the very tactics the government used to get established in a new world, such as the British government using piracy to sabotage Spanish influence in the Carribean, or the US pirating English culture to increase literacy during its formative years
Step 4: Bankrupt your "enemy" until they capitulate.

For the record, it's a CLASS ACTION suit. Which means that any who falls into the class (any artist whose song or performance was used without compensation) can join in.

Imagine every single one of the artists whose songs or recordings appear on those Right Now, Best Whatever Hits of 200X, and Kids Bop albums they advertise on TV all signed into the suit. Bands/musicians that are big enough or rich enough to support themselves in case the RIAA blacklists them or ones who have moved on from the music industry entirely. This seriously has the potential to break the RIAA if it gets enough support.

James Madison, who fought hard for the Establishment Clause, reasoned that the need for the "wall of separation between church and state" was necessary since "that the best interest of a society required that the minds of men always be wholly free"

They were concerned that at the time of this countries founding, a lot of the various sectarian conflicts that people fled Europe to avoid were becoming entrenched in colonial society, most noticably by the Anglican Cavaliers in VA who would hold trials at their churches.

Ironically, the First Amendment became a rallying cry by the states to avoid having the Federal Government, early on heavily influenced by Virginians, from imposing their religion on the other states which were heavily Quaker, Protestant, and Puritan.

Eventually there was a move to force a State-level first amendment through the failed Blaine Amendment, but until the 1st Amendment was incorporated in the early 20th century, there really was no such protection. I think Massachusetts still had an established church through the mid 1800s.

The best years for secularism ran from the 1940s through the late 80s/early 90s. Since then, the Establishment Clause has been largely rendered toothless and the Free Exercise Clause has almost been eradicated and made a legislative issue, just like Scalia wants it.

El Chode: Ironically, the First Amendment became a rallying cry by the states to avoid having the Federal Government, early on heavily influenced by Virginians, from imposing their religion on the other states which were heavily Quaker, Protestant, and Puritan.

Eventually there was a move to force a State-level first amendment through the failed Blaine Amendment, but until the 1st Amendment was incorporated in the early 20th century, there really was no such protection. I think Massachusetts still had an established church through the mid 1800s.

The best years for secularism ran from the 1940s through the late 80s/early 90s. Since then, the Establishment Clause has been largely rendered toothless and the Free Exercise Clause has almost been eradicated and made a legislative issue, just like Scalia wants it.

Wow this is totally in the wrong thread. Goddamnit, need to get to bed.

El Chode: James Madison, who fought hard for the Establishment Clause, reasoned that the need for the "wall of separation between church and state" was necessary since "that the best interest of a society required that the minds of men always be wholly free"

Wait, I'm missing a religion thread?!

Abstruse: Wait, I'm missing a religion thread?!

OMG TEH WAR ON XMAS (new window)

They'll settle out of court. As much as I'd love to see those assholes get a taste of their own medicine in court, we won't see that happen.

Outshined_One: They'll settle out of court. As much as I'd love to see those assholes get a taste of their own medicine in court, we won't see that happen.

Hey, it's still a taste of their own medicine. When the RIAA sued the first filesharer, it was for something like $15 million. He was a student at Rensselear or however you spell it. They settled for his life savings of something close to $12k even though they didn't have a case, it would have cost way more to fight it.

Reverse it now and see who has deeper pockets.

Otherwise, it's just like their intimidation suits where they sue for a couple million, and then the other person settles because it's too costly to fight.

CAD$60 billion...

So thats what? Like Thirty Bucks?

/flame on.

60 billion CANADIAN DOLLARS. That's only like $1.25 in greatest country on earth money

Stonerbloopers: CAD$60 billion...

So thats what? Like Thirty Bucks?

/flame on.

My refresh button is broken

Stonerbloopers: CAD$60 billion...

So thats what? Like Thirty Bucks?

/flame on.

I chuckled...well done.

Stupid farking Americans.

Ha Ha how does this farking feel, RIAA?

These thieves have only ever owned the distribution network, they have never owned the music. Its a transitory relationship, most musicians will tell you.

Its the same 12 tones, arranged differently or the same, so who really owns this stuff? The artists, the labels?

The farking front porch owns this shiat, pass over a beer and a drumstick.

/chicken

El Chode: Outshined_One: They'll settle out of court. As much as I'd love to see those assholes get a taste of their own medicine in court, we won't see that happen.

Hey, it's still a taste of their own medicine. When the RIAA sued the first filesharer, it was for something like $15 million. He was a student at Rensselear or however you spell it. They settled for his life savings of something close to $12k even though they didn't have a case, it would have cost way more to fight it.

Reverse it now and see who has deeper pockets.

Otherwise, it's just like their intimidation suits where they sue for a couple million, and then the other person settles because it's too costly to fight.

It is, but seeing a case wind its way through the court system, be decided in favor of Baker's estate, and become precedent that subsequently be used to bash record labels over their heads in Canada would be so, so, so sweet.

Weaver95: i'm wondering if the canadian branch of RIAA will put a hit out on the guys who brought the class action lawsuit....

They aren't called the MAFIAA in some circles for nothing.

♫ Oh! Whether you're poor or whether you're rich, you gots to know payback's a biatch! ♫

Oh boingboing, you constant copyfighters. I love that site.

Outshined_One: It is, but seeing a case wind its way through the court system, be decided in favor of Baker's estate, and become precedent that subsequently be used to bash record labels over their heads in Canada would be so, so, so sweet.

Perhaps they could push for a declaratory judgment

I am above the law!

"dats ow we do it wayyy up nort, eh."

href="http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=4831731&IDComment=56485810#c564 85810">Mobkey:
In other words, take them all down.

Makes me think of this:


Théoden: "Bring it down! Bring it down! Bring it down!"


/made me think of this //hot like oliphant dung

one little post, so much fail.

/facepalm

I was suffering poetic anemia.
Thanks for the irony!